<p>Hey guys, this year (soph) I got a 221 on the PSAT:
Math- 64 (my lowest score, argh. Math is the bane of my existence)
CR - 77
Writing - 80</p>
<p>So I'm basically hoping to maintain writing, bump reading up to an 80 (darn those two questions I missed!) and score much higher in math.
What I basically wanted to know was how much you guys improved between your soph and junior years (in all sections, but especially math), and if you prepped for the PSAT (haha, because I definitely did not).
I'm kinda hoping 230+ next year. Do you think that's realistic for me (with pretty much no prep; I'm notoriously lazy :D)?
Also, did any of you actually end up scoring lower in junior year than in soph? Going down is one of my worst fears.. -__-</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>The PSAT is a year away. You scored very well as a sophomore and will most likely do so if you score similarly. If you study you should be solid.</p>
<p>Aiming for a 230+ on your PSAT is relatively pointless. Colleges don’t care at all if you get a 222 or 232. As long as you get NMSF, you’re fine.</p>
<p>And NMSF isn’t even very important. It’s a nice little thing to have but doesn’t really affect the decision process at all. What matters is your REAL SAT score</p>
<p>I beg to differ. NMSF status opens up many scholarship opportunities, even if it isn’t used in admissions decisions. There are some state schools out there that will award full tuition scholarships based on National Merit Finalist standing. No, it won’t help at Harvard and Yale, but it certainly open up far more affordable options.</p>
<p>Also, prepping for PSAT gives you a jump start on prep for the SAT, so it’s not like it’s time wasted.</p>
<p>@CTScoutmom</p>
<p>It only opens up significant scholarship opportunities at very average colleges that most likely won’t reflect the intellectual level of someone who scores over 220. But yes prepping the PSAT does help you for the SAT, but its much smarter to simply study for the SAT and treat the PSAT as a secondary thing.</p>
<p>Well I’m aiming Ivy, so we’ll see how that goes. I took 4 practice SATs a while back (as part of a prep course… this was like in August), and I averaged a 1955, with the highest at 2110 and the lowest at 1810.
Is the PSAT at all reflective of SAT scores? Is it likely that my SAT score will also go up?</p>
<p>You may also have noticed the [other</a> thread](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/1419184-psat-sat-stats.html]other”>PSAT/SAT Stats - SAT Preparation - College Confidential Forums) addressing this topic.</p>
<p>To use myself as an example:
Freshman PSAT - 180
Junior PSAT - 222 (NM for WA was 217)
1st SAT - 2260 (800, 740, 720)
2nd SAT - 2300 (800, 700, 800)</p>
<p>You look to be on track to score even higher.
Good luck! :)</p>
<p>Thanks, haha that’s pretty encouraging :)</p>
<p>Here’s some encouragement:</p>
<p>Sophmore PSAT: 199
Junior PSAT: 220 (perfect score on CR shazam)</p>
<p>Didn’t study for either. Cutoff in CT is usually around 217-220 so fingers crossed for NMSF! </p>
<p>Also got a 2190 on the SAT (tanked CR and got a 660, but math and writing were pretty close to perfect)</p>
<p>Soph: 165 (I didn’t just blow it off… I actually tried)
Junior: 207
I need to go hug my English honors teacher from last year… Somehow I actually got a higher CR score than math… which is unusual for me…</p>
<p>My case is relatively similar to your’s, barring the distribution of scores.
In my sophomore year, I got ~220 on the PSAT with my highest score being math (high 70s) and writing and CR roughly equal in the low 70’s.
Junior year, I got a 229 on the PSAT, although I do feel that I got sort of screwed over. (1 writing question stupid mistake cost 5 points, bubbling error in math, would have been a 238). However, my whining doesn’t justify my score. I think that I simply was not feeling lucky that day. But my November SAT score was a 2400, which I partially attribute to luck, so your PSAT does not necessarily correspond to the SAT.</p>
<p>tl;dr It is very difficult to comfortably predict within +/- 5 points of how you’ll do on the PSAT because of the harsh curve. For instance, (-1) in math was 4 points off and (-1) in writing was 5 points within the last two years (-2 was 10 points off). Thus, one or two stupid mistakes, misreads, bubbling errors, or unusually difficult questions could cost you 10 points, making predictions highly inaccurate. I personally think with a 221 sophomore year, you could range anywhere from 210 to 240.</p>