PSAT Practice Test!

<p>So I just took the PSAT practice test...
And I got 200... but I really want to be at least commended. </p>

<p>1) How accurate is this practice test? Is the actual PSAT really similar, or harder? I found the Math incredibly easy (I only missed one problem), and hope that the real thing won't be harder. And as usual the CR brings my score waaay down with a 57 (570). My grammar section also proves to be crappy...</p>

<p>2) WHAT CAN I DO?? I know I'm such a procrastinator... The PSAT is next Saturday and I want to improve my CR and Grammar ASAP....
PLEASE HELP!!!</p>

<p>I think that Cr of pracitce test is easier.</p>

<p>The practice test is pretty accurate. Last year I got two CR wrong (a 77) on the actual test. When I took the practice test this year, I got 2 CR wrong (a 76, I believe). </p>

<p>I don't think that my CR has improved much, so this result seems pretty consistent.</p>

<p>As far as improvement goes (I should be talking, lol), It would really depend on what kind of questions you're getting wrong. CR is a combination of so many different aspects of reading that improvement is much easier when you can spot specific deficiencies.</p>

<p>good comments.</p>

<p>Let me revise my earlier statement. Since I got 2 wrong on the practice test, I would have a scaled score of 78, not 76.</p>

<p>I got about 20 points higher on the real thing last year. Maybe it was a fluke. It's probably pretty accurate.</p>

<p>Does the psat have the same type of questions as the sat? Is it just as good to use sat strategies for the psat? Thanks.</p>

<p>Yes, the PSAT is basically a shorter, easier version of the SAT. The primary difference is that the SAT requires you to write an essay, while the PSAT does not.</p>

<p>I took the practice test and I got a 162 ( got a 156 on the last years PSAT when I took it as a sophomore.. kinda dissapointing that my score hasnt gone up much :( ) I wanna make the commended list but going up 40 points in 3 days doesnt seem very likely.. I got a 52 in CR, 50 in Math and 60 in Writing. Any ideas on how I could boost my math scores? I only have a 2001 REA PSAT prep book which imo sucks.> I have the collegeboard blue book for SAT's though... Do you guys think I should do practice tests from the blue book? </p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>what practice test? which one?</p>

<p>I presume that the book you are referring to is The Official SAT Study Guide: For the New SAT. If so, I would highly recommend that you use it for test prep.</p>

<p>To improve in math, go through the first couple of tests (assuming you haven't) un-timed, just making sure you have no difficulty solving the types of problems that you encounter. Whenever you get a problem wrong, figure out not only why you got it wrong, but also determine the general problem with your approach that resulted in the error. For instance, if you just make a simple mistake in solving a problem that is easy, note that you need to pay more attention. Or if you were unable to solve a given problem because you didn't notice a particular piece of information, remember to check the information when you can't solve a problem.</p>

<p>Then proceed to working under timed conditions, and continue to evaluate the questions you get wrong. </p>

<p>Try to pace yourself properly too. Sometimes I have quite a lot of extra time, but not enough to check every single problem. In that case, it would have been better to take a little extra time on each problem to make sure that my reasoning was solid and that I made no mistakes. If you find yourself with .25-.33 time left, and you're still making mistakes, try pacing yourself a little slower.</p>

<p>Also remember that this is really a reasoning test. As a Junior, you have studied every mathematical concept covered on this test and probably many more. The real key is to think non-standard. SAT math is where critical reasoning meets formulaic problem solving.</p>

<p>I got a 216 on the practice test: 68 M, 72 CR and 76 W. One of the five math questions I missed was because of a really stupid mistake (I wrote down 6 instead of 16 when I was figuring it out...). I plan to really look over all the problems I missed and do some more studying as well, but I only have til Wednesday...</p>

<p>I live in Minnesota. Does anyone know what the cut-off score was here in previous years?</p>

<p>I got a 56 in CR, 76 W, and 72 M. This practice psat test was way easier than the Barrons and Kaplans Sat practice tests. Is it a fairly accurate indicator of what ppl are gonna get on the official PSAT?</p>

<p>The Practice test is really accurate! Last year as a sophmore I took it and got a 187; when I took the real thing I got a 187! Maybe it just worked that way for me but I was amazed. This year I took the practice again and got 223 (maybe it has something to do with the fact that I took it last year; but hopefully not!) Anyway, to improve writing; you should definitely look at Rocket Review.</p>

<p>Differentiable and lavendercloud: I noticed that you guys scored really well on critical reading. This is my crappiest subject. Do you have any tips or books that would help? Do you guys read the passage? Do you try to anticipate the answer? I missed 8 total on CR (2 sent comp, 6 passage) while on writing I missed 0 and math 1. The math one was due to I went brain dead and convinced myself that 4-2= -2! I was pretty mad lol!</p>

<p>The practice test is pretty accurate. If you want to improve, do some serious studying for a week.</p>

<p>For CR, just remember that the questions cannot trick you if you read the passage carefully. The answers are all there -- just seek them. Eliminate stupid answer choices. Don't panic.</p>

<p>So I should read the passage for CR questions? All SAT manuals I have read say to just get the gist then answer accordingly?</p>

<p>
[quote]
what practice test? which one?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>The booklet that I got from collegeboard..</p>

<p>
[quote]
I presume that the book you are referring to is The Official SAT Study Guide: For the New SAT. If so, I would highly recommend that you use it for test prep.</p>

<p>To improve in math, go through the first couple of tests (assuming you haven't) un-timed, just making sure you have no difficulty solving the types of problems that you encounter. Whenever you get a problem wrong, figure out not only why you got it wrong, but also determine the general problem with your approach that resulted in the error. For instance, if you just make a simple mistake in solving a problem that is easy, note that you need to pay more attention. Or if you were unable to solve a given problem because you didn't notice a particular piece of information, remember to check the information when you can't solve a problem.</p>

<p>Then proceed to working under timed conditions, and continue to evaluate the questions you get wrong.</p>

<p>Try to pace yourself properly too. Sometimes I have quite a lot of extra time, but not enough to check every single problem. In that case, it would have been better to take a little extra time on each problem to make sure that my reasoning was solid and that I made no mistakes. If you find yourself with .25-.33 time left, and you're still making mistakes, try pacing yourself a little slower.</p>

<p>Also remember that this is really a reasoning test. As a Junior, you have studied every mathematical concept covered on this test and probably many more. The real key is to think non-standard. SAT math is where critical reasoning meets formulaic problem solving.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>however, the practice test I did was from the booklet.. Hence, it does not have the solutions written. </p>

<p>Yes, i have the book that you mentioned.. I guess ill practice those asap.. need more time .. doh :(</p>

<p>thanks for your help..</p>

<p>
[quote]
So I should read the passage for CR questions? All SAT manuals I have read say to just get the gist then answer accordingly?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>:O Who tells you that? How can you answer correctly if you just skim? Surely you can read quickly enough to not run out of time.</p>

<p>Yes; I can read fast enough but it's only that I found this strategy more effective than reading the entire the passage. I may have miscommunicated when I said skim. Skim as in get the main idea of the passage then get to the questions. Since most questions give you which lines to read; just read a little above and below that throughly to answer the question. I think it's a fantastic strategy; I just don't have it perfected. Do most high scorers on CR read the entire passage?</p>