1. PSAT

2. WHAT IS THE PSAT  PSAT/NMSQT stands for Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test  Students take the PSAT to:  Prepare for the SAT  Enter competitions for scholarships (Junior year)  Begin college and career planning  Receive information from colleges  Help assess academic skills necessary for college-level work

3. PSAT at Cathedral The test, including all administrative tasks, takes approximately 3 hours. When: Weds, Oct 13th Who: Sophomores and Juniors Where: Classrooms will be assigned

4. HOW TO PREPARE  Visit collegeboard.com to learn about the PSAT  http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about/ ontest.html http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about/ ontest.html  Use your PSAT practice guide  Know the difference between educated guessing and random guessing  Learn the format and timing of the test  Know the directions for each type of question

5. The PSAT has 5 sections that measure 3 areas of competence: Two 25-minute Critical Reading sections Two 25-minute Math sections One 30-minute Writing Skills section All sections are designed to measure knowledge and skills developed throughout students’ years of study, as well as critical-thinking ability.

6. THE SECTIONS: BRIEF OVERVIEW

7. CRITICAL READING  Sentence Completion  One or two words are missing in a sentence  Passage-Based Reading  Tests students’ ability to read, understand and interpret reading passages.  Passages are usually drawn from actual published works

8. MATHEMATICS Numbers and Operations Algebra Functions Geometry and Measurement Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability Arithmetic word problems Quadratic equations Area and perimeter of a polygon Data interpretation (graphs & tables) Properties of integers Algebraic word problems Area and circumference of a circle Statistics (mean, median, mode) Rational numbersLiner equations and inequalities Pythagorean Theorem Probability Counting techniques Absolute valuesSlope

9. WRITING SKILLS  Improving Sentences  Part or all of a sentence will be underlined; students will choose which form of the sentence is most correct.  Identifying Sentence Errors  Four parts of the sentence are underlined and students select which part (if any) is incorrect  Improving Paragraphs  Students are asked to consider revisions in the context of an essay

10. DAY OF THE TEST  Eat a healthy breakfast  Come to school in uniform  Bring a calculator and No. 2 pencils  Do not bring extra materials

11. EACH SECTION IS GIVEN A SCORE FROM 20-80. THIS IS COMPARABLE TO THE SAT POINT SCALE OF 200-800. SCORING THE TEST

12. Questions?