<p>i had a score of 200 last year as a soph- would have been commended had I been a junior - don't know if i can repeat that performance. last year, my scores were 68 verbal, 57 math, and 75 writing. however, on a recent diagnostic sat thru PR, my writing score was a 590. my essay was a 10, but i still did bad on the writing multiple choice. worried about overall score as a junior. should not matter, but would like to get commended. oh well, if i don't, i am going to try to do well on old sats</p>
<p>I think most people improve even without any studying, just because you've learned more in school and such. The new PSAT is different though, so I don't know what effect the essay will have.</p>
<p>What? There is no essay on the new PSAT, just on the new SAT.</p>
<p>That's not what my school said...</p>
<p>I had a score of 223 as a sophomore. Annoyingly enough, I haven't improved significantly, because my writing score was evidently a fluke (80) and I routinely score lower. I make a few stupid math mistakes every now and then so I have yet to match my math score, either (77). However, my verbal has improved without me noticing. It's just gone up. I'm ecstatic...it's amazing.</p>
<p>I'm going to be severely upset if I get below 221 and don't make the semifinalist break. In fact, since my verbal has gone so much over last year's mark of 66, I'll be disappointed if I fail to break 230. Grr..</p>
<p>As for PSAT writing, I believe the story is there is no essay yet, but there might/will be in the future. Not for this year's juniors, though. </p>
<p>Writing scores fluctuate like....(searches for appropriate word)...the dickens. It reallly depends on how focused you are...I think you improve drastically when under pressure, on the real PSAT, because your subconscious forces you to think things through more.</p>
<p>I had a score of 143 as a sophomore (ha, ha! what a joke). I guess that is one of the many things to lower your self esteem, isn't it? With some practice, I've raised it to a 195 (still horrible, and still lowering my self esteem). I've pretty much given up on NMS all together. I mean, sometimes we all have to face reality. I've just set a goal of a 200+, and if I get that, I'll be content in my own small world.</p>