<p>As a sophomore, this was my first time taking the PSAT, and though I can say that I did much better than I expected (I expected around 170), there's definitely room for improvement (especially in math). </p>
<p>Do these scores put me in a good position to potentially qualify for National Merit? (I live in California, so the cut-off score is usually around 220.) I will be taking the SAT in December, so the studying would kill two birds with one stone. I've heard that once scores hit the 90th percentile, it gets very difficult to see a score increase. After ~10 months of studying (I have BB, Barron's, and a rudimentary 6-weekend prep class), what could my PSAT/SAT score be?</p>
<p>Thank you so much! ...And thus marks my first post on CC.</p>
<p>These are definitely good scores for a sophomore PSAT and well on the track for qualifying for national merit. I got a 192 last year, my sophomore year, and 224 this year. It’s true that the closer you get to higher scores, the harder it is to improve your score because one or two questions can massively impact your score. Your score will reflect however much effort you put in and can’t really be predicted at this point. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Your junior PSAT score could go up or down (relative to your sophomore PSAT).</p>
<p>I’ve known students who have done zero prep…and received the same score or lower on the junior PSAT.</p>
<p>Here in CA, I’ve worked with a number of students with relatively “high” sophomore PSATs (195+) who easily made the 221-223 NMSQT cut-off. Smart, motivated kids + good instruction = very high scores. Last year, I had 4 students who scored in the 200-210 range as sophomores. All 4 scored higher than 230 on the junior PSAT.</p>
<p>If you prepare properly for the SAT at the end of the summer, you should very easily make the cut-off. Take the October SAT. You’ll post a great score in the fall of your junior year…and then you’ll ace the PSAT a couple weeks later.</p>