The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) is one of the most important tests a student in high school can take. As the word “preliminary” implies, the PSAT closely conforms in the areas of format and content to college admission tests like the SAT or the ACT.
Another reason why the PSAT is important is because the National Merit Scholarship Corporation uses it as one of the criteria in awarding scholarships. The PSAT is especially helpful for diagnosing areas of strength and weakness for the future college applicant.
The PSAT is highly regarded as a predictor of success on the ACT or SAT. The scoring report of the PSAT shows the percentile scores in several categories, including reading comprehension, mathematics skills, and language arts.
Like the redesigned SAT, the PSAT now contains a writing component, in which students are given half an hour to respond to a prompt. Language abilities are tested objectively in another section of the test, as well. Sentence structure, vocabulary, and punctuation are measured through a series of multiple-choice questions.
In addition, the PSAT challenges reading comprehension and applied mathematical skills. There are 47 questions in the entire critical reading component of the PSAT. The student will be required to respond to questions in two 25-minute critical reading sections. This type of writing analysis test does not require the composition of an essay. Critical Reading Practice Test
Instead, the student must analyze paragraphs to find errors in punctuation or structure, and decide how to improve sentence or paragraph structure. There are 44 questions in the single 30-minute writing section of the PSAT. Writing Practice Test
The Math section of the PSAT has a total of 48 questions, 40 of which are in multiple-choice form. Students are permitted to use a calculator and to make memory notes for the 8 “grid-in” questions, as well as for the 40 conventional multiple-choice questions. PSAT math questions are in the areas of number operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis, statistics, and probability. Math Practice Test
The test score is based on the number of correct answers, so the student is encouraged to answer all the questions, even when uncertain of the correct response.
Online PSAT Test Prep Course
If you want to be fully prepared, Mometrix offers an online PSAT Prep Course. The course is designed to provide you with any and every resource you might want while studying. The PSAT Course includes:
- Review Lessons Covering All the Topics
- 1100+ PSAT Practice Questions
- More than 500 Electronic Flashcards
- Over 230 Instructional Videos
- Money-back Guarantee
- Free Mobile Access
- and More!
The PSAT Test Prep Course is designed to help any learner get everything they need to prepare for their PSAT exam; click below to check it out.
