<p>I've taken two psats and know I can score a 217, but I REALLY REALLY want a 240 (I could use that National Merit money). I'm studying SAT-style but avoiding the essay writing until after the PSAT. I'm still wondering, what did you do to study for the PSAT (if you did)? Is there a certain kind of question you noticed popping up constantly? Any recommendations on prep materials? </p>
<p>Thanks in advance :)</p>
<p>I’d like to know the answer to this too please :)</p>
<p>R-E-A-D!!!
My personal opinion is, PSAT and SAT are just stupid vocabulary tests. For instance, how many opportunities have you got to use “kudo” in daily life? and “ostracize” “bifurcate” “Primogeniture” “lachrymose” ? usually people will think that you are only vaunting if you use SAT words in your daily chatting too frequently. </p>
<p>Therefore, if you want to digest big words or academic words and grammatical rules, what you need is serious and constant reading. Read, perhaps, some political speeches of Edmund Burke. Or Novels written by George Eliot. But don’t expect light novels can have any substantial help. Twilight cannot beat Middlemarch; Harry Potter, no matter how good it could be, helps little compared with Joseph Addison’s several essays. </p>
<p>so that’s for the reading part. If you have problems with math, sorry but I cannot offer any help. I myself hardly have problems with the math part so I don’t know. :(</p>
<p>oh and essay! I don’t know mine is a right method or not. But for me, writing PSAT&SAT essays is just dribbling&prattling. (and I got a 10. Though not good enough for you perhaps but I was content with that score.)</p>
<p>To the OP: what state do you live in? A 217 would probably be sufficient as long as you don’t live in Massachusetts or something.</p>
<p>It is great that you are already thinking about your preparation for the PSAT. I agree with dawncoming that the PSAT and SAT have a heavy vocabulary component. Reading novels helps in 2 ways; it will increase your vocabulary (if you look up words you don’t know) and will help you be more proficient at reading the long dense passages on these tests.</p>
<p>Both my boys found the Direct Hits vocabulary books extremely helpful in learning words that actually appear on the tests. This is supported by many other CC posts/threads.</p>
<p>The College Board Blue book will also be very helpful in preparing for the PSAT as well as the SAT.</p>
<p>The first time I took the PSATs my sophomore year I got a perfect score in CR and only missed a couple in Writing…it’s math that kills me! Advice on that?</p>
<p>bump 10char</p>