1. 1 Understanding PSAT Results Boonsboro High School PSAT Information Night

2. 2 Agenda  What do the scores mean?  National Merit Scholarship  What’s next?  SAT vs. ACT  My College QuickStart  Triumph College Admissions (TCA)  WCPS College and Career Readiness  SAT/ACT Registration

3. 3 What do the scores mean? Amy Taylor

4. 4 Your Scores Your Skills Your Answers Critical Reading Mathematics Writing Skills Four Major Parts of Your PSAT/NMSQT Results Next Steps 3 Test Sections

5. 5 See how you did on each skill. The same skills are tested on the SAT. Your Skills You can try hundreds of practice questions, organized by skill, online in My College QuickStart (www.collegeboard.org/quickstart).www.collegeboard.org/quickstart

6. 6 Your Answers You will get your test book back with your PSAT/NMSQT results, so that you can review the questions. You can also review each test question in My College QuickStart.

7. 7 Your Answers: Student-Produced Responses Some of the math problems required you to grid in answers instead of selecting an option. For these questions, you will see the correct answer(s) written out.

8. 8 National Merit Scholarship Amy Taylor

9. 9 National Merit Scholarship Corporation Information The Entry Requirements section displays information you provided on your answer sheet. The Percentile compares your performance to that of other college-bound juniors. The Selection Index is the sum of your critical reading, mathematics and writing skills scores. If it has an asterisk, you do not meet all of the eligibility requirements for the competition.

10. 10 What’s next? Joy Franklin

11. 11 9 th and 10 th Grade  Practice! –Students will take the PSAT again in 10 th and 11 th grades –More practice leads to higher scores, and high scores in 11 th grade can lead to scholarship opportunities (National Merit)

12. 12 11 th Grade  Next steps depend on your PSAT scores, current courses, and future plans.

13. 13 If you scored 165 or higher…  You are ready for the SAT, but should continue to prepare in order to maximize your score for admissions and scholarships.  Practice –TCA –College Board’s Website  Register for the SAT –Next opportunity is Saturday, March 8 th (registration deadline is February 7 th ) –Register at sat.collegeboard.org

14. 14 If you scored 150-165…  To avoid remedial classes (and placement exams) at HCC, students need at least a 550 per section on Critical Reading and Math (equivalent of 55 per section on the PSAT)  Practice (TCA; College Board)  Register for the SAT, but leave enough time for review –Additional Dates: Saturday, May 3 rd and Saturday, June 7 th

15. 15 If you scored 120-150…  Register for SAT after completion of current academic courses, especially English and Math.  Practice –At least 10 hours using TCA in order to help maximize scores  Consider also registering for the ACT –Colleges will accept either an ACT or SAT score –Register online at www.actstudent.org.www.actstudent.org –Next opportunity is Saturday, February 8 th (late registration by January 24 th for additional fee) or Saturday, April 12 (registration deadline is March 7 th ).

16. 16 If you scored below 120…  Register for the ACT  If considering the SAT, take a mock SAT exam through TCA to further evaluate scores  Practice

17. 17 SAT vs. ACT Joy Franklin

18. 18 What’s the difference? SAT  Reasoning Test  Critical Reading, Math, and Writing  Covers reading, vocabulary, grammar & usage, writing, and math  Wording of questions can be tricky  Scores on each section will range from 200-800, totaling 600-2400  Penalty for wrong answers (you lose ¼ point for each incorrect multiple choice answer)  Math includes arithmetic, data analysis, algebra I and II, functions, geometry (formulas are provided) ACT  Content-based test  English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing (optional)  Covers grammar & usage, math, reading, science reading, and writing (optional)  Wording of questions is straightforward  Scores on each section will range from 1-36, composite score is the average of the sections totaling 1-36  No penalty for wrong answers  Math includes arithmetic, algebra I and II, functions, geometry, trigonometry (no formulas are provided)

19. 19 How Can My College QuickStart ® Help You? Jessie Little

20. 20 What’s next? Use the access code on your report to log in to My College QuickStart, a personalized college and career planning kit. There you can: Search for colleges Get a personalized SAT study plan Take a personality test to find majors and careers that fit you Learn more about AP ® courses that you might be ready to take www.collegeboard.org/quickstart Next Steps

21. 21 My College QuickStart

22. 22 My College QuickStart My Online Score Report Projected SAT® score ranges State percentiles You can filter questions Questions and answer explanations

23. 23 My College QuickStart My SAT Study Plan™ Personalized skills to improve SAT practice questions An official SAT practice test

24. 24 My College QuickStart My Personality Personality test Description of your type Tips for success Majors and careers that might be a good fit for you

25. 25 My College QuickStart My College Matches Starter list of colleges Criteria to customize search Ability to save searches

26. 26 My College QuickStart My Majors & Career Matches Major you chose Related majors Related careers

27. 27 My College QuickStart My AP Potential List of AP courses Which ones are offered at your school

28. 28 My College QuickStart My AP Potential Choose a major to see which courses match it. Interpret your report to see whether you are ready to take a course.

29. 29 My College QuickStart Log in to your personalized account at www.collegeboard.org/quickstart

30. 30 WCPS College and CareerWCPS College and Career and Triumph College Admission (TCA) Beth Moore

31. 31 SAT/ACT Registration Peggy Pugh

32. 32 SAT Registration  Register online at sat.collegeboard.org  $51 regular registration fee –Fee waivers available for students who are eligible for free and reduced meals…See your school counselor  Additional $27.50 for late registration –Fee waivers will not cover late registration

33. 33 SAT Dates and Deadlines  March 8 th –February 7 th –Late registration: February 24 th  May 3 rd – April 4 th – Late registration: April 21 st  June 7 th –May 9 th –Late registration: May 28 th

34. 34 ACT Registration  Register online at www.actstudent.orgwww.actstudent.org  $36.50 fee (No Writing) –Check the website to see if the colleges you are considering require or recommend the ACT Writing Test.  $52.50 (Including Writing)  Additional $23 for late registration

35. 35 ACT Dates and Deadlines  February 8 th –Late registration: January 24 th  April 12 th –March 7 th –Late registration: March 21 st  June 14 th –May 9 th –Late registration: May 23 rd

36. 36 Contact Information  Mrs. Amy Taylor: TayloAmy@wcps.k12.md.usTayloAmy@wcps.k12.md.us –9 th Grade (last names A-G) –10 th Grade (all)  Mrs. Joy Franklin: FrankJoy@wcps.k12.md.usFrankJoy@wcps.k12.md.us –9 th Grade (last names H-O) –12 th Grade (all)  Mrs. Jessie Little: LittlJes@wcps.k12.md.usLittlJes@wcps.k12.md.us –9th Grade (last names P-Z) –11 th Grade (all)  Mrs. Peggy Pugh: PughPeg@wcps.k12.md.usPughPeg@wcps.k12.md.us  Mrs. Beth Moore: MooreBet@wcps.k12.md.usMooreBet@wcps.k12.md.us