@LvMyKids2 I’m painfully aware that the SI is heavily based off reading and writing - both of which I’m weak in. (I’m annoyed that English is double-counted… I know it’s tradition, but why can’t math and English be equal?) Since I’m weak in both, I can’t also afford to lose points in math. I’m suspect that the curve for math will be harsh since most people found it very easy.
@LvMyKids2 Most likely even missing 1 on PSAT will drop from a 760 to a 750 meaning you need higher on Reading and Writing sections.
yep given that the take from all the kids is that the math was easy i would say that very likely it will be a 750 for one wrong on the Saturday test. Oh well, it is a great thing to have NMSF, but not the end of the world.
@LvMyKids2 it’s important for many large merit scholarships.
@CharlotteLetter I understand. But I do think those are mostly for the big state schools. A few top selective schools have them, but not many. I guess I was commenting in terms of just having NMSF/NMF status only. It is wonderful for colleges to see, but not going to be a deal breaker when getting into selective schools…I just should have clarified my comment. I know 3 from my childs school last year…none got huge scholarships at all and 2 ended up at state schools and another at a top 10 school. No large merit scholarships even though they all were finalists!
@LvMyKids2 There are many large state schools that don’t have scholarships for NMF (few do for NMSF), and naturally selective colleges usually don’t. I don’t think top colleges really care about NMF anyway. Most finalists I know who paid attention to deadlines got large scholarships at state flagships (although one is going to USAFA instead). I’m not applying to selective schools though - the whole purpose of me taking PSAT was for making NMF for merit money.
ETA: My state flagship gives a full ride to NMF, so if I graduate on time instead of a year early, being NMF will be VERY useful.
Hello, senior NMSF here. I remember how terrifying it was taking the PSAT and seriously worrying about it afterwards. I did not expect to do as well as I did, so I’d like to remind you all that you may be too hard on yourself. Relax and bask in the joy of having completed what’s probably one of your first major standardized tests (except for you AP geeks who’ve already obtained five 5’s)! Don’t fret over national merit. Unless you’re seriously considering very large state schools (like Oklahoma or Alabama), it’s not going to bring you much money. It can provide somewhat of a boost in college admissions, but I’ve seen people be accepted to Harvard without it. Congrats on getting through the test, get yourself some ice cream and PSAT memes! Good luck to all!
I’m pretty sure that the curve for PSAT in general was 1 wrong for Reading and 1 wrong for Math to get perfect score, right? Because I missed a question on the math section and so I feel pretty annoyed.
@alumon it really depends. If you look at the 2 curves that are out on the only 2 official practice PSAT tests, -1 in reading was a 38 both times. But in math, -1 was perfect score in one test (760) and in the other practice test -1 was 750. Same for writing. in one test a -1 was 37 and in the other -1 was 38 (perfect). Who knows…it just seems like if everyone was saying the math was easy, perhaps -1 will be a 750.
@ThinkOn I also took the August SAT. I agree that the August SAT had a much harder reading but can’t really attest to the how the math compared in difficulty. The math on the Saturday PSAT was very easy but I found the reading to be pretty hard. I actually think that the writing was tricky on the PSAT and maybe even a bit harder than that of the SAT. Remember that the SAT is usually harder than the PSAT: its math has more advanced concepts and the reading tends to have more nuances like inferences and more complicated passages. I am retaking the SAT in November to raise my reading test score and I think the PSAT was good practice for waking up early on a Saturday and simulating the “real deal”.
@kimclan1 such a good attitude! Good luck on the “real deal”, for those schools that superscore, another shot at the SAT may be well worth it.
When you guys say “35” or “38” is that the raw score - and out of how many?
My son thinks he got about 4 wrong in Math, and 2 in Reading and 2 in Writing (best estimate based on the ones he was unsure of). Any chance for National Merit in a 223 cutoff state? (arrgh).
@sunnyschool Most likely 221-222 depending on the curve of course.
@Luska19 With those # wrong , what would the raw scores be - and can you tell me how you get to 221?
@sunnyschool the 38/38 is not a raw score.
The raw score is simply how many you get right. For reading, you can get any score up to a 47/47. For writing, you can get up to a 44/44. Math is treated as one section and it’s out of 48.
The collegeboard creates a scale for every test that converts the raw scores into scaled scores. For reading and writing, the scaled scores are out of 38 (76 combined) and math score is out of 760. If you multiply your scaled English scores by 10 and add them to your math score, you can get up to a 1520 (perfect score). If a section is easy, you need to get a full raw score to get a full scaled score. If it’s hard, you might be able to miss 1 or 2 questions and still get a perfect scaled score.
National merit has a slightly different scale. It divides your math score by 10, so you can get up to a 76. Then, it multiplies your English score by 2, so it’s out of 152. Then it adds the two scores together for a total score out of 228.
Such a wonderful detailed explanation provided above!
That “total score of 228” is referred to as the Selection Index (SI). Each state has it’s own SI cutoff number for Semifinalist. When the PSAT scores are released in December, it will provide your son’s SI, which you can compare to last year’s cutoff for your state to get a general idea of where he will fall. The cutoffs for each state are released next fall.
@ThinkOn Ive heard that the scores were released on November 3rd? Perhaps im wrong…
@waterbrether725
Scores are released December 11-13 depending on the state you live in. Check college board for your particular state
The CB PSAT Score Release Schedule indicates that it will be released based on “your state”. The info is:
California, Illinois, Ohio, Washington, Michigan, Indiana, Oregon, Missouri, Colorado, Wisconsin, Nevada, Kansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Utah, Nebraska, West Virginia, Montana, Alaska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Iowa, Minnesota.
December 11
Texas, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Arizona, District of Columbia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Delaware, New Mexico.
December 12
Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, Kentucky, Alabama, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Vermont. International students should also expect scores on this date.
December 13
Here’s the link: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/scores/getting-scores
Of course, don’t know if this is based on from what state you are accessing your scores, which state your high school is located…
It is based on from what state you are accessing your scores.