I’m a sophomore and did pretty poorly on the PSAT- 159 no prep and I stayed up till 1 the night before studying for a spanish test I had after the PSAT. My math score was strong it was the other two that hurt. I’m planning on spending a lot of time this summer studying for the SAT/PSAT do you think I can do ok later? I was pretty disappointed in my score and it seems that a lot of other people say the PSAT score was very similar to their SAT even with additional prep. What do you think? Will I be ok? I’ve always done well on standardized test so my PSAT score is really making me nervous
One of my kids scored virtually the same on sophomore and junior PSATs and the SAT. The other scored thirty points higher on the PSAT junior year over sophomore with very little prep.
My kids both did quite a bit better on the SAT than on their PSAT, but both studied for the SAT. The good news is that your sophomore SAT doesn’t mean squat. Go ahead with your plan to study this summer. You might also try the ACT when it comes time to actually test, some students do better. In general, I would say leave yourself plenty of time for testing. My kids did this:
SAT I - 1st attempt in January of senior year, with time for one more attempt later in the spring (May, I think, so there was some time between to study)
SAT Subject Tests - took a shot at the ones they wanted to take by end of Spring junior year. I think both took another shot in the fall of senior year, but that is all the standardized testing they had left to do in the fall.
ACT - Both also tried that in spring of Junior year. They ended up sticking with their SAT scores in the end, but one got a 35 on the ACT with NO prep, and certainly could have used that if her SAT hadn’t been super good.
It is best if you can study and get most of your testing out of the way junior year. It is one less thing to stress over in the fall, and gives you a clearer picture of what schools make sense for you.
If you study, SAT scores could easily be much higher than PSAT scores. I just got the College Board Blue Book and took practice tests, and in a year my 179 PSAT went up to a 2190. I’m hoping with the January test I took that my score will be anywhere from 2250-2300.
My PSAT score was almost the same as my SAT, but that doesn’t mean it can’t improve. Just be sure to prepare a lot before you take the SAT. Maybe hire a tutor, if you’re struggling?
Yes, I believe you can do better on the SAT with prep.
My PSAT was the exact same as my SAT (1920), then I decided to move to the ACT, and ended with a 33 
Mine was nearly the same (221 soph psat, 226 junior psat, 2270 SAT).
my real SAT was much higher than my sophomore psat, and slightly higher than my junior psat.
I wouldn’t worry at all, because 1) you’re still a sophomore 2) you didn’t study for the psat
By the time you are a junior and you study before taking the SAT you will do much better
D scored a 148 in 9th grade, 185 in 10th, and 180 in 11th (yup, went down the one year it mattered). She prepped on her own using books for the SAT and ACT (no formal prep), and ended up with a 2080 SAT and 32 ACT. Some kids scores improve significantly just by having taken the test previously. If you’re a good standardized test taker, do some practice and see how that goes, but also look into the ACT. At least for now these are very different tests, and some kids do much better on one than the other.
In my case, PSAT was not accurate to first sitting for the SAT. There was about a 200 point spread, and I didn’t study for the first sitting. Sometimes a little more time to mature and get used to test taking is all it takes (though I would recommend studying).
This isn’t the best group of people to ask because it’s mainly a matter of how much you study. Of course if you study for weeks before the SAT then your score will be higher than it was on your PSAT. The majority (I would arbitrarily estimate 80%) of the people on CC study before their SAT and even in between PSATs, so they can’t really tell how accurate of an indicator the SAT is.
PSAT scores are accurate based on their input…
Obviously variables and factors change. Just keep your head up and focus on doing better.
My PSAT score was dramatically lower than my SAT score, and I did zero study/prep for either. A decent amount of time passed between my PSAT and SAT, though- PSAT was in October, and my first SAT was in March. My second SAT was in November.
PSAT: 199
1st SAT: 2210
2nd SAT: 2200 (Superscore 2230)
They are pretty accurate. But with any amount of studying you will imptove
My SATs were 180 and 220 points better than my PSAT.