<p>So I finally got my PSAT, and now I'm gobsmacked.
I really don't know what to do.</p>
<p>Instead of barely missing National Merit and lamenting of over it, I got back results that totally destroyed my day.</p>
<p>I recieved a lower score than my sophomore year.</p>
<p>This Year/Last Year</p>
<p>Critical Reading 68 vs. 74
Math 67 vs. 70
Writing Skills 58 vs. 54
Total 193 vs 198</p>
<p>I feel so horrible. I actually attempted to study this year, and it seems to have had mostly a detrimental effect. Anyway I'm wondering if anyone know's what this mean. No harsh sarcastic replies please! I'm not in the mood.</p>
<p>I feel like this is proof I'm getting stupider, and I'm not even on drugs.</p>
<p>How pathetic, a crashing and burning at 16.</p>
<p>I never would have expected this. I don't even get commended. Ugh, this makes me feel so extra-pessimistic about my Dec. 1 SAT's.</p>
<p>Here's another question I have, can I submit last year's PSAT in for summer programs and apps?</p>
<p>Life Sucks, these are the sort of things that make you not want to continue with this whole process. Feels like I'm seting myself up for failure.</p>
<p>okay- let's get some perspective here. First of all the PSAT's aren't on any college apps, as our guidance councelor stated- "it is one day, one test in October". The percentile is probably the same so it won't matter which score you send. Use this to show you how you can perform better on the SAT. Also, many kids have said they scored higher on the SAT's 2 weeks after the PSAt. So don't let this determine one moment of your life, or make you think you aren't smarter- part of the problem with the math is that so much is geometry which you probably haven't had for some time. look at the problems you missed- and learn from any mistakes you made and go kickbutt on the SAT and also give the ACT a try!!! I have 2 jrs. One rose quite a bit the other one stayed about the same- he felt just like you for a few days. Remember, nobody sees the PSAT!!! It is a PRE test, a PrACTICE test!!!!
Also- I am sure your percentile was still very high!!! Mope for a moment then pick yourself up and get pumped to do well on your next test, and keep up your grades- they are by far the most important part of the picture!!!</p>
<p>Also look at your score report - how many questions wrong did you get compared to last year? The curve was harsher, so it could be that you had fewer incorrect answers than last year. </p>
<p>Move past the PSAT - it really isn't that relevant in college admissions. Start looking forward to what you need on your application (like 2by2 says).</p>
<p>hey cheer up.
the PSATs don't really mean much...you're lucky!
I personally wish it did since I'm not certain I'll do as well on my SAT [I got a 227 if you're curious. If not...then sorry for sharing]
:-) but don't lose hope, it really IS just a teeny tiny slice of your life.
Who knows, this bit of misfortune may bring you unimaginable success later in life.
OK,
this may sound ridiculous to you, but how do I START a thread??? so confused...
please msg me or something</p>
<p>pgtori, can you stand a little cheering up/perspective from an old person? </p>
<p>Sometimes I think that's what missing here - perspective. And I feel for your generation, because I think that we as parents have instilled this sense of having to get great scores, great grades and admission to a highly competitive school in order to be considered a success.</p>
<p>Some of the smartest, most $uccessful people I know didn't do as well as you did on the PSAT - or the SAT, for that matter. They don't seem very upset about it now. They have great careers, and plenty of toys. They also didn't go to the best colleges. In all likelihood, you will be admitted to a more selective college than they attended.</p>
<p>I won't blow smoke and tell you that your scores don't matter; they do matter to you, right now. And so I suggest that you go over the questions that you missed so that you can make this a learning experience, and get something out of it.</p>
<p>But this is just one tiny step. You have a lot of steps ahead of you, an entire staircase full, so get off the step that you're on. Focus on the next step!</p>
<p>Even though you are disappointed, aren't you in the 94th or 95th percentile? If your SATs are the same, you will have higher scores than about 94% of the other college bound kids.</p>
<p>Don't be discouraged. My daughter also went down, by more than you did, but did much better on the SAT. It's one test, on one day of your life, and your scores are still quite good.</p>
<p>Heh, I got a friend who had good scores on his practice PSATs and thought he could have made it and made a 200 on his PSAT. What a bummer for him.</p>
<p>He's a little stressed out but it's not the end of the world.</p>
<p>He said he knew a kid that got 214 sophomore year (which would have made the cutoff had he been a junior) and got a 206 this year. It could have been worse.</p>
<p>My son did great on this first PSATs, and then took the SATs with great expectations, and he went down from a 72 on the CR PSAT to a 640 on his SAT!! What the heck??? We think that because he took a course in between, he overthought all of the questions. His solution was to take the ACT cold without even looking at the book: 32 composite first time, 34 composite second time with perfect Science and Reading scores. Some kids are great test takers, and when they overthink it, they go down.
Don't overthink, and think about taking the ACT also.</p>
<p>"Heh, I got a friend who had good scores on his practice PSATs and thought he could have made it and made a 200 on his PSAT. What a bummer for him."</p>
<p>Only on CC would a 200 PSAT score be considered a bummer! : )</p>
<p>The grading curve for this year's PSAT is especially harsh, especially for the writing section, so don't fret.</p>
<p>Although the PSAT is supposed to be an indicator of how well you do on the SAT, don't think of it as a standard set in stone. I've known plenty of people who've gotten 50-200 points higher than what their PSATs predicted. As long as you're ready for the longer haul that is the SAT, you'll be fine.</p>