By Wendy Alicia Figueroa Carlo PSAT Overview By Wendy Alicia Figueroa Carlo

Compostion The PSAT has three parts: critical reading, math, and writing skills. On each part you’ll recieve a score from 20 and 80, and a combined Selection Index, which is, essentially, a sum of all three respective scores. For each individual score, as well as the Selection Index, you will recieve a percentile ranking that shows how your scores compare with those of the other students who took the test the same day you did.

PSAT Format 48 Critical Reading Questions (2 Sections, 25 minutes each) 13 sentence completion questions 8 short paragraph critical reading questions 27 long paragraph critical reading questions 38 Math Questions (2 Sections, 25 minutes each) 28 standard multiple-choice questions 10 student-produced responce (grid-in) questions 39 Writing Section (1 Section, 30 minutes) 14 identifying sentece errors questions 20 improving sentence questions 5 improving paragraph questions

Test-Taking Tactics Know your enemy (the format of the test) Expect easy questions at the beginning of many sets of the same question type. Within these sets (Excluding the reading comprehension and improving paragraph questions) the questions progress from easy to hard. Take advantage of the easy questions to boost your score, since each question is worth the same amount of points, regardless of the difficulty. Answer all the easy questions first, then try the hard ones out, if you have time. There’s no rule that says you have to answer all the questions in order; you’re allowed to skip. So if you get stuck on a particular section or question, move on to the next one right away. Be careful not to make any stray marks on your answer sheet. This test is graded by a machine, and it cannot tell the difference between accidental marks and a filled-in answer. When the machine sees two marks instead of one, it’s wrong.

Test-Taking Tactics (Continued) When guessing, eliminate as many wrong answers as you can and then make an educated guess. Deciding between two choices is easier than deciding among five. Whenever you guess, every answer you eliminate improves your chances of guessing correctly. Change answers only if you have a reason for doing so. Don’t give in to last-minute panic. It’s usually better for you not to change your answers on a sudden whim. Calculators are permitted during the test, so bring along a calculator that you are comfortable using. No question on the test will require a calculator per se, but it may be helpful for some questions. Remember that you’re allowed to write whatever you want in your test booklet. Make good use of it. Circle the questions you skip, and put big question marks on questions you answer but are unsure about. In the sentence completion questions, circle key words, etc. The only thing that counts is what’s on your answer sheet, however. Line up your test book with your answer sheet to avoid making careless errors when transferring your answers.

Helpful Websites http://www.testprepreview.com/psat_practice.htm http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/prep.html http://www.eduers.com/sat/psat_practice_tests.htm http://www.educationplanner.com/education_planner/preparing_article.asp?sponsor=2859&articleName=PSAT_Practice_Tests http://www.petersons.com/testprep/practice_test.asp?id=436&path=ug.pft.psat&sponsor=1

Bibliography College Board. "PSAT/NMSQT: Preparing." PE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd":: College Planning Made Easy | Inside Source for College Admissions Requirements. Web. 05 Oct. 2009. <http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/prep.html>. Educationplanner.org. "PSAT Practice Tests." Education Planner. Web. 05 Oct. 2009. <http://www.educationplanner.com/education_planner/preparing_article.asp?sponsor=2859&articleName=PSAT_Practice_Tests>. Eduers.com. "Free PSAT Practice Tests: Sample PSAT Questions." The Eduers Higher Education. Web. 05 Oct. 2009. <http://www.eduers.com/sat/psat_practice_tests.htm>. Green, Sharon W., and Ira K. Wolf. Barrons's Pass Key to the PSAT/NMSQT. 14th ed. Hauppauge: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 2008. Print. Barron's Educational Ser. Nelnet Inc. "Free Practice Test for the PSAT/NMSQT - Peterson's." Search for Colleges and Universities, Graduate Schools, Online Degree, Private Schools - Peterson's. Web. 05 Oct. 2009. <http://www.petersons.com/testprep/practice_test.asp?id=436&path=ug.pft.psat&sponsor=1>. Test Prep Preview. "PSAT Test Practice Questions - Help your PSAT Exam Score with free PSAT Test Preparation." Test Prep Review | Exam Practice for ACCUPLACER, ACT, GED, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MAT, MCAT, NCLEX, Praxis, SAT and other Test Preparation. Web. 05 Oct. 2009. <http://www.testprepreview.com/psat_practice.htm>.