PSAT vs. SAT

Test Preparation
1

<p>I just finished my junior year and I'm going to be a senior in the fall.
In October 2010, I took the PSAT and got a 205.
In January 2011, I took the SAT II and got a 1930 (Ugh).
Then in June 2011, I took the SAT II again and got 2010.</p>

<p>So, I'm wondering how everyone else's PSAT scores were in comparison to their SAT scores. Is there a reason my scores went down? I know it's not because of my essay because I still would have only gotten a 2030 in June if the mediocre 8 on my essay hadn't brought me down.</p>

2

<p>On my Fall 2009 PSAT, I got a 174.
On my Fall 2010 PSAT, I got a 189.
On my March 2011 SAT, I got a 1990.</p>

<p>Ehh… just random deviation in scores. Less preparation maybe? I really have no idea how the 250 point increase in 2 years even happened, I only took 1 practice exam seriously.</p>

3

<p>Yeah, sometimes you see weird jumps in tests like these…in January my math score was 640, then in June it jumped 100 points to 740, but didn’t think I’d learned THAT much in 4 or 5 months</p>

4

<p>Exactly. I think it’s just that we randomly start paying more attention to certain aspects of the test than others when we are aware that we scored too low for our expectations. And then on other sections where we did well, we kind of think “Oh, I’ll be fine here”, and then end up doing worse.</p>

<p>The joy of standardized exams…</p>

5

<p>Yeah, I think that probably might explain it. Because after I’d gotten my PSAT score without studying, I figured I didn’t have to try, so maybe that’s why my score dropped. Where do you plan on applying?</p>

6

<p>Yale…? Maybe? Possibly? With an ACT score, of course. My current SAT score is so low (for Ivies) that I’d probably just get dumped into the “deny” pile ._.</p>

<p>Or perhaps U of Washington for their exemplary Med program…</p>

<p>What about you?</p>

7

<p>I am trying to get into Berkeley, and if not Berkeley, then UCLA. Or maybe even USC. But not any of the Ivies. My junior year I took a really easy schedule (only 1 AP course, 2 honors courses, and a study hall) and my extracurriculars aren’t really fantastic. Good luck on getting into Yale then! Good that you did better on the ACT. I got a 29, so my ACT and SAT are about the same :/</p>

8

<p>PSAT: 155
SAT: 2100</p>

<p>Point…proven</p>

9

<p>PSAT: 195
SAT: 2280… Superscore 2300</p>

10

<p>Sophomore PSAT: 183
Junior PSAT: 207
Junior [January] SAT: 2240</p>

11

<p>Junior PSAT: 222
Junior Take 1: 2000
Junior Take 2: 2030
Senior Take 3: 2260</p>

<p>Never prepped. Diagnosed AD/HD w/o accommodation or medication. At least that’s how I account for my inconsistency.</p>

12

<p>Sophomore PSAT: 211
Sophomore SAT-March: 2200</p>

13

<p>Sophomore (PSAT): I think 200
Junior Take 1 (SAT): just over 2000
Junior Take 2 (SAT): 2200+</p>

14

<p>2008 PSAT 184
2009 PSAT had bronchitis
2010 Psat 203
Jan SAT 2080
May SAT 2290</p>

<p>Sent from my LG-P509 using CC App</p>

15

<p>Dangit…most people’s scores went up. That’s weird. I just can’t figure out why my scores went down. Maybe my attitude/how I approached getting penalized for certain questions…? Maybe I just ought to study before I take it next time.</p>

16

<p>October 2010 PSAT- 224 (71 CR, 73 M, 80 W)
March 2011 SAT- 2270 (710 CR, 760 M, 800 W)
June 2011 SAT- 2340 (770 CR, 800 M, 770 W)</p>

<p>SUPERSCORE- 2370 (770 CR, 800M, 800 W)</p>

17

<p>My PSAT scores did not correlate very well. On the PSAT, I got a 201 (missed NMC by 1 point) but on my first SAT I got 2280 (perfect CR and Writing). Can’t explain this…</p>

18

<p>2009 PSAT: 202
2010 PSAT: 224
March 2011 SAT: 2260
June 2011 SAT: 2340</p>

19

<p>I bet you’re a genius, sir</p>

20

<p>October 2010 PSAT: 229
March 2011 SAT: 2320</p>

<p>Pretty different score distribution, though.</p>