<p>Hi. I took one of the official PSAT tests from one of the years under timed conditions and all I got was a 185 out of 240. Here's the breakdown:</p>
<p>Math = 59
CR = 63
Writing = 63</p>
<p>I started preparing for the PSAT only with my Barron's PSAT/NMSQT book. I did a couple of random official practice tests, and I then gave this one. Can someone please give tips to improve my score? The thing is that I still have a lot of months to prepare for the real PSAT, so any tips on how to go about the preparation in all the three categories would be really, really helpful!</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Your math is probably the most concerning, as it is somewhat difficult to improve on in my opinion. The good news is that if this is your first test, you’re in good shape with CR and math.</p>
<p>I got a 61/69/50 on my first PSAT (also, my first standardized test of the sort, to which I uphold that math was a fluke, as I knew everything) and a 73/80/80 on my next try a year later.</p>
<p>Here’s what I did in between to prep:
CR: Downloaded The Economist and Time app on my iPhone. Took up an interest in reading. Learned a set of basic words (~250). Did most of the CR tests in Blue Book.
M: Almost nothing. Like I said, I am confident I could have gotten 80 sophomore year had I not been flustered.
W: This was obviously my most dramatic improvement. I always had a liking for style, but I actually learned all the nitty gritty SAT rules before taking my SAT. It’s really easy, actually. Eventually, every test looks the same and requires little to no brain power to ace.</p>
<p>The most important thing is to develop your reading skills and ability to get nitty gritty with math problems. Just practice practice practice!</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for that help! By the way, besides reading Time and Economist, what did you do for Critical Reading? That’s because I tend to screw my passage-based reading more than my sentence completion questions. Also, my major weakness in Math is sequence, patterns and permutations! Any help for that ?</p>