PSAT TESTING 101

WHAT IS THE PSAT?  Practice Scholastic Aptitude Test.  Used for AP Potential Placement  Evaluate Skills for College  Scores used for National Merit Scholarship consideration and others when taken in 11 th grade.  Colleges offer grants to NMS finalists.  Gives you an idea of how you will do on the SAT.

WHAT’S ON THE PSAT? Three sections of testing :  Critical Reading  Tests vocabulary, main idea, fact vs. opinion, and more Split into two 25-minute sections Contains 48 questions total  Mathematics  Tests basic arithmetic, algebra and geometry Split into two 25-minute sections Contains 39 questions total  Writing  Tests grammar, mechanics, and word choice Has one 30-minute section Contains 39 questions total

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM SAT?  Structure: SAT has 10 sections; PSAT has 5 sections.  Length: SAT is 3 hrs. 45 minutes; PSAT is 2 hrs. 10 minutes.  Purpose: SAT is used for college admissions and scholarships; PSAT is used for National Merit Recognition and scholarships.  Scoring: SAT has a possible score of 2400; PSAT has a possible score of 240. The scores correlate, so the PSAT helps you figure out what you’ll score on the SAT.

PSAT SCORING  Three scores, one for each category. Scores range from points, and directly correlates to the SAT score range of  Scores are added together to get Selection Index (SI), which is used in part to qualify for NMS.  PSAT scores will not get you into college, you need SAT scores.

WHAT IS AN AVERAGE PSAT SCORE?  If you are taking it for SAT prep, gives a good indication of what you need to work on.  Average 11th grade PSAT Scores for 2014: (Avg. SI 141.9)  Critical Reading: 47.4  Math: 48.6  Writing: 45.9  Average 10th grade PSAT Scores for 2014: (Avg. SI 127.3)  Critical Reading: 42.6  Math: 43.5  Writing: 41.2  You must score in the upper 95 th -99 th percentile to be considered for NMS.

PSAT BENCHMARK SCORES 2014  Benchmark Scores are what are considered to be College/Career Ready  10 th Grade  Critical Reading- 42  Mathematics- 44  Writing- 42  S/I- 128  11 th Grade  Critical Reading- 45  Mathematics- 47  Writing- 45  S/I- 137

AUBURN MOUNTAINVIEW PSAT Results  9 th grade  Critical Reading- 39  Math  Writing Skills  10 th grade  Critical Reading  Math  Writing Skills  11 th grade  Critical Reading  Math  Writing Skills Results  9 th Grade  Critical Reading  Math- 41  Writing Skills- 38  10 th grade  Critical Reading  Math  Writing Skills  11 th grade  Critical Reading  Math  Writing Skills- 41.4

PSAT SCORE REPORT  Allows access to many resources available in College Board  Explanation of Scores  Skills Report  Personality Profile  College/Career Matching  Practice SAT Testing  Study Plans

AUBURN MOUNTAINVIEW SAT  Critical Reading  468  Math  472  Writing  445

2013 LOCAL ADMISSIONS University of Washington Seattle University  Percent of Applicants Admitted: 55%  Test Scores -- 25th / 75th Percentile  SAT Critical Reading: 520 / 650  SAT Math: 580 / 710  SAT Writing: 530 / 640  Percent of Applicants Admitted: 73%  Test Scores -- 25th / 75th Percentile  SAT Critical Reading: 520 / 640  SAT Math: 530 / 630  SAT Writing: 520 / 630

MORE …. Washington State University Western Washington University  Percent of Applicants Admitted: 82%  Test Scores -- 25th / 75th Percentile  SAT Critical Reading: 450 / 570  SAT Math: 460 / 580  SAT Writing: 440 / 550  Percent of Applicants Admitted: 84%  Test Scores -- 25th / 75th Percentile  SAT Critical Reading: 490 / 620  SAT Math: 500 / 600  SAT Writing: - / -

SAT PRACTICE TOOLS  The Official SAT Question of the Day™  Students can get an SAT question a day to answer via the SAT website, our mobile app, or Twitter  Official SAT Practice Test  The only place where students can take a free, full-length official test and get their scores instantly.  SAT Practice Questions  Questions in mathematics, reading and writing, just like the questions they’ll find on the test.

SAT PRACTICE TOOLS  SAT Subject Tests™ Practice Questions  Questions, including answer explanations, for all 20 SAT Subject Tests.  SAT Skills Insight™  Real SAT questions and answers, suggestions for improvement and guidance on how students can sharpen their skills.  SAT Study Plan  A simple, personalized plan based on their stage of testing.

HOW CAN I SUPPORT MY STUDENT?  Use the “Mycollegequickstart” tool with your student  Talk with your student about their interests  Research financial planning options (scholarships, financial aid, loans, military, etc.)  Meet with school counselor  Ensure course schedule is relevant to goals  BE FLEXIBLE!

NEXT STEPS Have your Juniors sign up for the SAT online course :  Go to  In the Students Area, select "Register Now!"  Enter ****** in the School Code section on the right hand side and select "submit"  Log in using existing College Board username and password or create a new account (if they don't already have one).  Once the login info is entered successfully, students will be directed to The Official SAT Online Course page  Select "Independent Study" and click "next"  On the page confirming "Independent Study", click "confirm"  This will take them to the page indicating the "fee" ($69.95 for one year). Click "School Subscribers Click Here" link at bottom of this page to bypass the fee.

REFERENCES  Rowel, K. (2014). What's a good sat score?. Retrieved from  Collegeboard.com Denise Daniels, Family Resource Coordinator Auburn School District #408