Are PSAT and PLAN scores accurate?

Test Preparation
1

<p>Hello everybody! :)
I am a rising junior who is absolutely unhappy with her PSAT and PLAN scores. They are as follows:</p>

<p>PSAT: (Keep in mind I took this in October without a stitch of preparation. I also doubled up in geometry and algebra 2.)
Composite Score: 171
Reading: 63
Writing: 62
Math: 46</p>

<p>PLAN:(I rushed through this and had to make my answer choices at a first glance.)
Composite Score: 23
Language Arts: 26
Reading: 22
Math: 21
Science: 22</p>

<p>My point is that my scores are absolutely horrible. Sure, I scored higher than the vast majority of my school, but there were people who received scores of 29, though they've had test prep. Am I really going to earn scores that they predict? My math PSAT score is absolutely embarrassing. But I guess I have gone through progress, seeing as I could do every problem correctly when I looked through the booklet again. My math PLAN indicates improvement as well. I just feel like a flaming idiot. I guess I do deserve these scores because I did not try my best. But has anyone succeeded their predicted scores? I am nothing special, and these scores will not help me get into my dream school that happens to be a top school. :/ I guess it's time to search for other schools. I just feel like an idiot. </p>

2

<p>Don’t worry! Just study over the summer. Buy a lot of books! As far as the PLAN goes, you can definitely improve in time for the ACT. The projected ACT score they give you is what you’d get WITHOUT studying beforehand. When I first took the PLAN in the fall of my sophomore year, I think I got a 26 composite. Then I took it in the spring again and got a 31. There is definitely time for improvement for you.</p>

3

<p>The project ACT score from PLAN is just based on statistics. It is going to vary from student to student. My D keep getting 1 point higher than the projected score from ACT Explore to PLAN to ACT. If you work hard, you should be able to get the upper range or even beyond that projected score range.</p>

4

<p>The scores are just a snapshot in time. What you do in the meantime is up to you. Back when GRE scores were out of 1600, 800 on each section, I had similarly embarrassing Math scores. I raised them by over three hundred points by working incredibly hard over the summer. You can too!</p>