Hello all, I'm stressing out about my PSAT scores. I know they're not required for college admissions, but can anyone help explain how they're calculated and how they should be interpreted? Right now I'm just feeling a bit lost about it all.
Sure, I'd be happy to break this down for you! Firstly, remember that the PSAT, also known as the Preliminary SAT, is used predominantly as a practice tool and qualifier for the National Merit Scholarship.
Your PSAT score is derived from two key components: Evidence-Based Reading & Writing (EBRW) and Math. Each of these components is scored from 160 to 760, yielding a composite score that ranges from 320 to 1520. It's important to note that this max score is lower than the SAT's top score of 1600 because the PSAT is slightly easier.
When you receive your scores, in addition to your composite score and section scores, you will receive subscores and cross-test scores. Subscores delineate how well you did in certain skill areas across both tests, while cross-test scores assess your performance in analysis in science and analysis in history/social science.
Finally, your percentile ranking indicates how your score compares to other students. For instance, if your percentile ranking is 70, you scored better than 70% of students.
I hope this clears up any confusion you have. The PSAT can be a helpful diagnostic tool to identify your strengths and areas for improvement before you sit for the SAT. But as you correctly pointed out, it's not part of the college admissions process and it should therefore not be a cause for excessive stress.
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