<p>I'm going to be Junior this fall. Since they say that PSAT is a good estimator for the SAT I've started with prep for it.
During sophomore year, I got a 196 with very little prep (I took the practice night before) which means my SAT would be 1960. </p>
<p>After about 2.5 weeks of heavy prep, I'm scoring a 203-205 on almost every resource--but my score seems "stuck."</p>
<p>So far, I've done all the exercises/drills in the study books and taken 6 practice tests. While I got a 200 on the first 2, my latest tests have come out with, as I mentioned earlier, a 203-205. </p>
<p>I know it's not a terrible score, but it's also way off NMSF. Any advice? </p>
<p>I don’t know…I am of the opinion that the SAT matters way more. The fact that you are prepping already is a good sign, so please don’t be discouraged. FWIW I never broke 200 on the PSAT and it was a very poor indicator of my actual SAT, but I didn’t study for the PSAT. Doesn’t really matter in the long run.</p>
<p>Really don’t worry about the PSAT too much. It is definitely less important than the SAT – the only way it helps is NMS stuff and people without those credentials still get into all the top schools. 2.5 weeks isn’t that long – remember you still have a few months until the test is administered in Oct. I would say instead of cramming now, work a little bit every week and try to pinpoint your weaker areas – maybe the grammar questions on the writing section, or some sort of math, anything that trips you up. Then focus on those areas more intensively.</p>
<p>In my book anything over 200 on the PSAT is impressive, and in my experience SAT scores are usually higher than PSAT anyway.</p>
<p>Good luck on both tests, and remember to have some fun this summer!</p>
<p>NMS is always a good thing to have, but it wont make or break you. regardless, if you are really committed to the PSAT, you might as well study for it intensely, so you can get a good score and be prepared for the SAT. Kill 2 birds with one stone and keep at it!</p>
<p>Make sure in the review books that you are doing more than just the practice tests and drills: read the chapters and look at the tips. make sure to pace yourself. And practice in a quiet room, and when taking a test, make sure you copy real test taking conditions.</p>
<p>above a 200 on the PSAT is something to be pleased about, but more would be better obviously.
196 with minimal studying the first time around shows you are rather bright, so have confidence!</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much. I felt the PSAT was more difficult than the SAT. I took the SAT two weeks before the PSAT and I did about 200 points better on the SAT.</p>
<p>@tau628 - What are your subscores by section? If you’re scoring about 65-70 on each section, then it shows that you just need to improve a little bit on timing and accuracy. On the other hand, if you have imbalanced scores, then it shows that you need to brush up on concepts and strategies.</p>