So I just recieved my PSAT score back and I received a 196(65 on Critical Reading, 68 on Math, and 63 on Writing). Since all my scores are similar, I need advice on how to break into the 70s for each section for next year(I am a sophomore right now). Thanks in advance!!!
if u got a 196 sophmore year then just going with the flow in high school your gonna get 700’s in each section naturally
Thanks for your advice @thegrant! How did you do on the PSAT? Will you recommend me to do any test prep programs?
Hey MrVenKata, I would recommend taking a prep class for the SAT/ACT. They will benefit you extremely and motivate you to get that 2100+, I also recommend these two books: SAT College Board Book and the Barron’s prep.
I would recommend preparing for the PSAT. If you score high enough you will win National Merit scholarships which will be worth $10k or more. Probably just completing practice tests consistently for several months will be enough for you to improve your score. Depending on what state you live in you will need from 205 to 220 to advance in your state.
Remember that the PSAT is changing next year, so you will need to research it to find the new practice materials. Like @Wje9164be says, it is the qualifying test for the NMSC competition, and there are some amazing scholarships out there for Finalists. Great job on your sophomore PSAT!
You might want to check out the National Merit Scholarship threads - they are under “Financial Aid & Scholarships,” subforum “National Merit Scholarships.”
I’m a freshman and I got the same score. It’s frustrating that the exam is changing next year. Does anybody know if it will be easier or harder?
@TheFeels Thanks for your advice! I already have the SAT College Board book and I’ll definitely check out the Barron’s. I do not want to take a prep class as it can be expensive and the PSAT next year will be matched to the redesigned SAT.
@Wje9164be I live in Texas so around 220 ;(
@albert69 I have to wait until March for the new materials 
@Argentina2017 It depends on personal preference, but I think it will be easier due to no more sentence completion and hard vocab
@MrVenKata we are in TX too my D scored 214 as a sophomore. She is very interested in OU and they offer a 5 year $120K package for National Merit so it was worth it to us invest in her prep. I bought her some SAT prep books (Erica Meltzer Grammar and Critical reading books and PWN the math SAT book) which she didn’t use as much as I would like but still think they are great books. I also signed her up for the online PrepScholar.com program which I think really helped. It wasn’t cheap but was worth it to us and they have a great refund policy, which I’m thankful we couldn’t take advantage of. She ended up with a 231 on the PSAT and 2310 on the Nov SAT. If you are looking at near full ride/ full ride scholarships for National Merit it might be worth the investment in a prep class, if you are looking at colleges that don’t offer much for NM then it might not be worth the investment. I’m sure they will redesign the prep classes to match the redesigned tests as soon as the CB releases the new materials.
S18 did not take the PSAT this year but has started using the books I had purchased for his sister (maybe an hour a week if I’m lucky). I know the test will be changing but the concepts and skills should be similar and there’s nothing wrong with increasing Grammar, Math and Critical Reading skills. He will take the PSAT as a sophomore and then will also do PrepScholar between sophomore and junior year.
Remember it’s harder to increase the score the higher you go and the curves can been cruel. D16 only missed one math problem on the SAT and it took her down to 750!