PSAT scores

Test Preparation
1

<p>Hi! I'm new here, so sorry if I'm posting in the wrong section or something like that. I just have a couple of questions about my PSAT scores that my school just gave back last week. I took them in October and I'm a sophomore.</p>

<p>CR: 64
Math: 80
Writing: 68
Total: 212</p>

<p>I'm wondering how the PSAT scholarships for next year work and whether or not I should qualify next year.
I'm also looking for some advice on how to improve my Critical Reading and Writing Scores for the Junior year PSAT and the SAT.</p>

<p>TIA</p>

<p>Edit -- Target score of 2300</p>

2

<p>Great job, first of all!
Anyway, since there isn’t a PSAT-specific forum you’re fine posting this here. :)</p>

<p>Well, you would definitely qualify for the Commended status (usually about 200), and most likely for Semifinalist status as well (this depends on your state, though). If you live in the Northeast, though, you still have a little bit of work to do. If you live in the West like me (in a state other than California :p), you’re probably already at the semifinalist level, or only need to improve within 5 points.</p>

<p>Also, make sure that you’re eligible for the scholarships beforehand. If you’re not a US citizen yet, try your best to become one before October so that there’s a lot less hassle in meeting the NMSQT qualifying requirements.</p>

<p>Anyway, for Critical Reading, I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but actually sitting down and reading does help. Learning more vocab (and of course, just the fact of being in school for another year) will most likely help both the sentence completion and the passage-based reading, UP TO A POINT. Eventually you’re also going to have to use process of elimination and context clues to get those extra points. Those are especially helpful in two-blank sentence completions.</p>

<p>As for writing, well, I write a lot, which probably helps. I can spot incorrect sentence structures/grammar a lot quicker than most of my friends (who, incidentally, detest writing…), which gives me a huge advantage in this section. If you write enough, you’ll get to the point where you can answer a lot of the questions on the PSAT intuitively, without having to search in your brain for exactly what rule the sentence is breaking. Looking up some grammatical rules, especially those pertaining to commas, will help as well.</p>

<p>I would go into a lot more detail, but I don’t really want to write a whole book on here, and there are TONS of resources out there you should check out, such as:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/955109-silverturtles-guide-sat-admissions-success.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/955109-silverturtles-guide-sat-admissions-success.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/763933-everyone-read-before-posting-best-sat-prep-forum-faqs.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/763933-everyone-read-before-posting-best-sat-prep-forum-faqs.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Happy searching! Good luck! :)</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the links and the advice. I am in fact in the Northeast. Does anyone know what score I’ll need in Pa to qualify?</p>

4

<p>Agree with above advice.</p>

<p>Register for the October SAT and seriously prep for it this summer. The SAT prep will be all you need for the PSAT, although I would suggest completing a couple of practice PSAT exams in the two weeks between the Oct SAT and the PSAT. Or, take the Nov SAT if the timing of that exam works out better for you with ECs and school schedule.</p>

5

<p>PA’s score has ranged from 213-216 the past several years, so you do not need to improve your score all that much. Good luck!</p>