<p>Why does it take so long for the PSAT to be graded as opposed to the SAT? People who take the SAT in October get their scores in the same month, but people who take the PSAT in October don't get them until December (I think, correct me if I'm wrong). Why is this, especially since the SAT has an essay that has to be read by humans?</p>
<p>You are asking questions that the College Board and their allies at NMSQT do not want you to ask . . . SILENCE!</p>
<p>I don’t know if this is actually the correct answer, but consider the fact that everyone (freshmen, sophomores, and juniors) taking the PSAT take it on the same day. The SAT has multiple sittings over the course of the year, so the number of test-takers is divided amongst these sessions.</p>
<p>Last year, my daughter’s scores arrived the day before Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>It is up to the individual schools to determine when PSAT scores are released. Unfortunately this means a wide range of release dates for these scores.</p>
<p>The number of PSAT takers is probably at least triple the number of SAT takers in the most popular month (October btw), but I don’t think the time to score the PSAT scales linearly with the number of test takers.</p>
<p>As minoafrau suggests, it takes the CB no longer than about a month to score the PSAT.</p>
<p>Also, the PSAT has a longer “score explanation” and packet than the SAT does, so I’m sure that also takes time to put together.
For many SAT takers, they opt to receive their scores online which eliminates the cost and time of printing, mailing, etc.
The PSAT arrives in print and is much longer than the SAT packet.</p>
<p>I don’t think it takes long to score the PSAT at all. They probably have all tests scored by the end of October.</p>
<p>I think the schedule for score release is just due to their own NMCorp schedule of figuring out what “cut off” is going to get that * next to the PSAT score. </p>
<p>There is often a test date in November for schools or regions that have had some kind of issue…school fire, weather disasters, etc. </p>
<p>The entire PSAT process is dragged out for their own reasons…not because it takes a long time to score them.</p>
<p>the psats were probably graded within a week or so after the last set was taken by the students on saturday. i mean even if you take into consideration the time it takes to sort all the scores, print the score sheets, and store the data, it still wont take over a month.
i think every school is different in terms of distributing the scores because my school hands them out the first week of december, while our broschool gets theirs in like january or something.
& the sats are def more important</p>