1. The PSAT and Academic Success
Katie Rose
Communications Coordinator
Applerouth Tutoring Services
Roswell High School
February 7th, 2019

2. THE PSAT

3. Your Student’s PSAT Score Report
You can access your student’s full report at any time by logging into your CollegeBoard account. This is what the abbreviated report looks like.

4. Total and Test Scores Total Score and Percentiles
EBRW Score and Percentiles
Math Score and Percentiles

5. Test Scores
Test scores are how your scaled scores are calculated.

6. The PSAT and National Merit (NMSQT)
In 11th grade, students who take the PSAT are eligible for National Merit recognition, which can bring in scholarship money and an edge in college admissions.
Source: National Merit Annual Report, 2017

7. The National Merit Selection Process
Finally, around 8,800 are selected as Merit Scholars and receive recognition and awards.
Of those, around 15,500 complete the additional steps to be considered Finalists.
Roughly 16,500 of the top PSAT-performing students are selected as NMSQT Semi-finalists.
Although the Merit Scholars only make up 0.05% of students taking the NMSQT, Finalists and even Semi-finalists can use their NMSQT status to earn scholarships from private organizations and universities.

8. Question-Level Feedback
The Question-Level Feedback can tell you a lot about your student’s performance.
First of all, if your student omitted questions, that can really affect their score! There is no guessing penalty on the PSAT, so students should never leave questions blank.

9. Question-Level Feedback
Next, take a look at the difficulty levels. Missing “easy” questions might indicate content gaps or carelessness. Missing “harder” questions might indicate your student hasn’t yet covered certain concepts.

10. Next Steps
Your full score report is the first stop you need to make: full question explanations, subscores, and personalized practice.

11. Should my student prep for the PSAT next year?
You should only invest in PSAT prep if your student is on the cusp of National Merit - that is, if they scored at the top of the class when they took the PSAT in 10th grade.
As we discussed, National Merit can translate into significant scholarship money, but the PSAT does not factor into college admissions. If your student is not National-Merit-bound, use the PSAT as another way to practice for the SAT and focus your prep on the SAT or ACT!

12. Tips for Academic Success

13. Balance is key!
When planning out a semester or a testing season (for sophomores), consider your extracurriculars.
If you play a fall sport, then maybe you should consider SAT/ACT prep or loading up on AP credits for the spring!
That being said, make sure you are prioritizing academics. If you can’t set aside time to study regularly, then consider cutting down on your extracurriculars. Remember: Academics are the most important aspect of your eventual college application!

14. Planning, planning, PLANNING!
In 9th and 10th grade, you’re forming the foundation of your study habits. You should use both a paper planner and an electronic one to track deadlines and tests.
Record your deadlines/dates in the paper one, and transfer the dates to an online calendar when you get home.
Schedule a regular time for studying - your calendar will send you a reminder when it’s time to buckle down!

15. Step 1: Learn information! Step 2: Review the next day!
The 24 hour review trick
If you review new material within 24 hours of initially learning it, you will most likely create a stronger memory and are unlikely to forget it. This works with new vocabulary, historical dates, math and science formulas, and just about everything else!
Step 1: Learn information!
Step 2: Review the next day!

16. Helping prepare students for higher scores and grades since 2001
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Helping prepare students for higher scores and grades since 2001

17. Sources
Sample 2018 PSAT Score Report. College Board