<p>Is the PSAT really easier than the SAT? is that in terms of material, or is it because its just shorter?</p>
<p>Its easier because it is shorter and you can therefore concentrate for longer, it has no essay, and the material is overall easier. For example, I think it goes up to Algebra I and Geometry whereas the SAT goes up to Algebra 2. The vocab, passages, and grammar are overall pretty easier on the PSAT than the SAT.</p>
<p>The only difference in the PSAT and the SAT is the fact that the PSAT does not have an essay section like the SAT. The PSAT is designed mainly for introducing students to what the SAT really is and how it is. It is also for hopeful students who desire to qualify for the national merit scholarship, but that requires a very high score.</p>
<p>treat it like its the real deal and i suppose prepping a bit for it wouldnt hurt.</p>
<p>^You should really only prep for it junior year though. If you take it sophomore year, which a lot of kids do, it is to really see how well you do on the test just on raw, natural intelligence. However, studying for the test junior year can help you qualify for the national merit scholarship</p>
<p>I thought the PSAT was easier, but I scored nearly 100 points higher on the SAT without prep, so that kind of threw me off (in a good way).</p>
<p>The reason the PSAT seems easier is probably its length. There isn’t that big endurance factor that there is on the SAT. Also, there is no essay, which is very helpful for some.</p>
<p>The flip-side of this, though, is that it’s easier to lose points. There are fewer questions, so each wrong question makes a bigger impact on your score.</p>
<p>^That also means there are less questions to get wrong so it pretty much balances out</p>
<p>@herozero1234</p>
<p>How high of a score? :o</p>
<p>It varies from state to state so it could be anywhere from 200 - 220. You can find a list of last year’s cutoffs online for sure.</p>
<p>Or you can look at the PSAT PR book. They have a list and what was the cutoff scores.</p>
<p>The only cut-off scores I found were from 2005 in a prep book (Princeton Review 2007ed.). Massachusetts, New York, and California had the highest cut-offs at around 218. Wyoming had the lowest at 200 (go figure :)). I found the 2010 PSAT a bit frustrating as I got a 76 in math with only 1 wrong answer (scored a 203).</p>
<p>Pray to god you’re not in NJ like me lmao I have to get over a 221 to get NMSF. & one other state has like 223 O_O </p>
<p>So I should be able to do better on my PSATs, right? Cuz i’m taking october SATs & right now just trying to break 2300, but its very hard. I’ve moved from 2200 too upper 2200s in the past month i think</p>
<p>EDIT: just trying to make sure i get the scholarship, I really need it.</p>
<p>Same here ^
But seriously, my parents moved to one of the “easier” states. I don’t know if I should thank them or not XD</p>
<p>It seems like total BS that some states have it easier than others. Is the test harder if you live in some backwater redneck state like Mississippi or Wyoming? NO. So why do I have to do significantly better on the same test to get the same reward? (I live in one of the higher-cutoff states if you can’t tell lol)</p>
<p>lol well when I move to this “lower” state. Their education is lacking. Their algebra1 is equivalent to prealgebra…</p>
<p>Not to mention over here, more people do other stuff, and there isn’t a specialized high school (like nyc).</p>
<p>@Dusterbug- The reason why the score are different is that even though the populations of states vary (Wyoming 200,000 vs California 32,000,000) the number of qualifiers each state has is the same so that all the winners aren’t from the typical states (MA, CA, NY, NJ etc.). It’s unfair and fair at the same time (think about Senators - 2 per state) . </p>
<p>P.S. @schoolisfun- I took the test as a sophmore so I still have another year (I live in Massachusetts so I know it’s going to be hard to get the scholarship) :).</p>