I just got my PSAT scores and scored a 1290. I'm curious about which percentile I'm in. Can someone help me understand how my score measures up to other test-takers? Thanks!
Sure! A PSAT score of 1290 puts you in a pretty competitive position among test-takers. While exact percentiles may vary slightly from year to year, a 1290 is generally around the 87th to 90th percentile, meaning you scored better than about 87% to 90% of students who took the PSAT.
Keep in mind that the PSAT is primarily used as a practice test for the SAT, and serves as the qualifying exam for the National Merit Scholarship Competition. If you're aiming for National Merit, you'll want to focus on improving your score, as the cutoffs for each state differ and tend to be in the top 1% to 2% of test-takers. However, your current score is still strong and shows a solid foundation in the tested skills.
Now that you have your PSAT results, you can use them to assess your strengths and weaknesses, and focus on improving in the areas you might be struggling with for the actual SAT. Keep in mind that the PSAT and SAT are not directly comparable, so when you take the SAT, your score might be slightly different. To get a better estimate of how you'd perform on the SAT, consider taking a practice test under testing conditions. And, of course, continue to prepare for the SAT using study resources, practice questions, and tests.
Good luck with your future testing endeavors!
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