If there’s another thread like this, please merge, but I couldn’t find one.
Is PSAT a good predictor? If so, could someone point me to a web site.
I couldn’t find one.
The best I could do is find two web sites - one assigning a percentile to
the new PSAT score and another assigning a percentile to the new SAT score.
I took the PSAT score and found the corresponding percentile in the PSAT
test takers. Then I went to the SAT site and found that percentile. I looked up
the SAT score that matched that percentile in the SAT test takers.
According to College Board the new PSAT is designed to be a reliable predictor of the new SAT. They claim that with the redesigned exams, whatever you get on the PSAT is what you would have gotten if you had taken the SAT that day instead. Unless the student gets a perfect score on one of the PSAT sections (max 760 vs 800 for SAT); they can’t know whether the student would have done better than 760 on the SAT. I’m still waiting to see if this is really true though…S18 took his first SAT on December 3 so his score won’t be posted for a couple more weeks, but he did say it seemed no harder than the October PSAT. His practice exams predicted low 1500s (lopsided favoring math) and he got a 1490 PSAT with a 760 on the math, so if he gets closer to 800 on the SAT math then in his case the PSAT would be very predictive.
ETA: my source is three different presentations by trained test prep teachers. One was a Kaplan rep the school brought in for a talk, one was an independent test prep tutor who is a parent of a student in my son’s STEM program, and the third was a school district teacher trained by Princeton Review for district-sponsored test prep courses.
My D17 took the PSAT and then the SAT three times. She got a 750 EBRW on the PSAT and got either 750 or 760 on each of the SATs. Once she only missed 4 on EBRW and got the 750 then got a 760 when she missed 5, so there is a curve applied. She felt the only way she could have improved her scores would have been to get lucky on some questions.
She was much weaker in math on the PSAT but was able to bring here score up 90 points using Kahn Academy.
For my D the SAT matched what she would have gotten if she took the SAT that day. But it does not say what your potential is if you are willing to learn new material and fill in your week spots.
I don’t think it predicts anything when you take it 10th grade. A lot of kids have not taken the right classes yet to learn all of the info.
My son didn’t do great on his 10th grade psat, he ended up with a much higher SAT score at the end of jr year. He was hundreds of points higher than his psat.
The best part about the psat is seeing where you can improve, and study/target those areas for improvement.
It’s a predictor for that day, not at the end of junior year. My daughter’s PSAT aligned well (and was a strong score) but her score still jumped fall senior year. PSAT is good practice in a stressful environment.
Yes, trying to extrapolate junior year SAT from sophomore year PSAT is not that useful except at the very high end of the score range. A kid who scores over 1500 on the sophomore PSAT, especially with minimal prep, is likely to have a great junior SAT score. However junior year PSAT score will probably be a much better predictor of junior year SAT score for all score levels unless the student does zero prep for the PSAT. The point stands, though, that the tests are now designed such that the scores would be about the same on exam day, whether the student took the SAT or PSAT.
@traveler98, does that hold true for PSAT 8/9. I am curious what scores would show that one has a real chance for a high SAT/PSAT when the time comes. Waiting for D21’s scores
Completely useless IMO. The PSAT is only good for National Merit consideration, especially for kids who are in advanced tracks. Much of the math on the SAT is covered in 9th grade for those kids.
My kid took SAT beginning of October and two of her friends took SAT in November, their scores were all within around 20 to 40 points between SAT/PSAT. The third friend has around 100 point difference with SAT around 1520 (or 1540) and lower PSAT.
Thank you for the feedback everyone. That’s a bummer. Using the percentiles led me to believe that her SAT score would be 120 points higher than the PSAT. She hasn’t done much prep yet, so hopefully she can still improve by 100 points or so.
Even if her score doesn’t go up at all, she should get into the school she’ll most likely be targeting, but higher scores would allow her to look around a bit.
@walknoneggshells I wouldn’t get too hung up on the PSAT/SAT correlation. S15 took the SAT at the beginning of October and then the PSAT 2 weeks later, so his level of preparedness was exactly the same. He got a 2290 on the SAT but only a 211 on the PSAT.
I know I will get shot down for saying this but I believe a certain range on the test scores can be attributed to luck. One day you make careless errors, misread questions, misinterpret questions and another day maybe you don’t. Some tests will have a math question here or there that you have never been exposed to, another day you luck out and you are familiar with all of the concepts. Some tests are reportedly easier than others and maybe the curve just works out in your favor.
I believe S was just lucky on the SAT and not so much so on the PSAT. He wasn’t smarter at the beginning of October than he was at the end of October, lol.
^^^Even I am not taking the tests, I agree on the “luck” and to avoid careless mistakes. DD took the SAT in Oct and PSAT 2 weeks later, she scored 730 out of 800 on the Math portion for SAT, but 750 out of 760 on PSAT for Math. We got back the paper, she made 5 mistakes (I think), I asked her to redo all 5 and she got them all correct…She made mistake such as thinking 60/30 as 1/2 rather than 2. I don’t know what she was thinking (or reading).
@annamom exactly. I have been working with S18 on PSAT/SAT/ACT over the past couple of months. He makes some of the simplest errors, just like you mentioned. His errors do not reflect a lack of knowledge, but a lack of precision.
For my son, the PSAT score was pretty close to his SAT score, which was anywhere from 30-50 points higher (he took it three times). Having said that, DS didn’t prep nearly as much as he should have for any of the exams. Had he prepared more, his score could have been higher.
Interesting @planner03. I can see that. I’ve tried some of the questions myself, and I’ve made stupid mistakes too.
@annamom, you get the test questions back and your answers, with your score? Is this true for the PSAT too?
@sbgal2011, even 50 points higher would be nice. My daughter didn’t prep much either, so I’m hoping she can bring her score up a bit with more serious prep.
^On the CB site she’ll have a full report including a link to personalized help from Khan Academy. Was this her first time taking the PSAT? If so, and with the minimal prep you mentioned, I’d think she could see a lot of improvement if she studies and takes the SAT a couple of times.
@WalknOnEggShells I do not know about the questions for the PSAT yet, but received an email from the counselor there will be test booklet in her office…and will meet with her in Jan… Yes, I received the test questions and answers for the Oct SAT for my kids