<p>So, I got my PSAT back as a sophomore and it was a 187. 66CR 56M 64W
My practice PSAT was a 201. 68CR 68M 68W
I'm fairly sure that it was an old test, it was whatever the admin gave me upon registration.<br>
Essentially the same scores 'cept math. I couldn't finish the math on the actual test. This resulted in me getting the last 5 math wrong. </p>
<p>I live in Minnesota, where the cutoff is 214..?</p>
<p>So, I've got a significant ways to go. I've also gotten a 29 ACT as a soph which is roughly a 1920 SAT. How feasible does this seem? Also, once you make the cutoff, what's the actual process for becoming a finalist/semifinalist?</p>
<p>How much studying do you think I should do? When? Suggestions are welcome.</p>
<p>First of all, I’d recommend looking at your score report. They should have given you a list of areas where you need the most improvement. Those are good places to start.</p>
<p>To reach the cutoff of 214, you’re going to need at least a 71 in each area. This is definitely doable. The Kaplan PSAT prep book is particularly good, in my opinion. Your best bet is to go through each section, figure out strategies to use, and then do a bunch of practice problems. You have plenty of time, so spread out the work. Do a little bit of practice a few times a week. You could probably wait until the summer to start.</p>
<p>Here’s a tip for vocabulary: Keep a tab open on your browser that’s at dictionary.com. Whenever you see a word you don’t know while you’re online, make yourself look it up. I found that to be very useful.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks, I will. Bump</p>
<p>Just start studying for the SAT and then your PSAT scores will automatically go up. Start studying maybe in the summer, a couple months before the PSAT. I don’t think you need to separately purchase PSAT books.</p>
<p>I agree with caughtintraffic; study for the SAT and your PSAT scores will go up. Also, if you have Chrome/Firefox (I don’t know about IE) there’s a nifty dictionary extension/app thing where if you double click on a word the definition comes up. Then you don’t have to keep the dictionary.com tab open. :)</p>
<p>I think you have a solid chance of making NMSF next year. I was in the same situation you are in my sophomore year (187 PSAT). then I studied for the SAT over the summer leading to my junior year and I got a 240 on this year’s PSAT administration. Study for the SAT well and you’ll do fine on the PSAT. It seems like your math is the lowest subject; I would just constantly take math practice tests wherever/whenever you can find them, cause PSAT/SAT math portions tend to be pretty similar every administration.</p>
<p>Wow, a 240, that seems like quite a leap, how much did you study?</p>