I scored a 191 on the PSAT last fall as a sophomore with a 1230 composite, 680 reading/writing (98th percentile) and 550 math (82nd percentile). I talked to a National Merit Semi-Finalist I know about how he qualified, and he said he got around the same score I did when he took the PSAT in 10th grade. What is concerning, though, is my low math score. I wouldn’t have to improve my reading and writing that much to get commended, but I would have to make leaps and bounds in math.
At the time of the test I had not learned or could not recall some concepts on the math portion (imaginary and complex numbers, compound probability, etc.), but I still think I should have been able to score much higher. Is meeting the NMS standard, whatever next year’s may be, a reasonable goal? Is it feasible to go from 82nd percentile to 99th?
Yes, it is definitely feasible to go from 82nd percentile to 99th. I’d say definitely review some of the concepts for math, but I think the best way to review is just to do question after question after question. That’s what I did when studying for both the PSATs and the SATs, but for me I struggled with reading. After each question set, look through to see what you did wrong, and try to understand it. Over time, you should definitely see an improvement. Good luck!
You will have an additional year of formal math preparation and that can help. Also, the timing may be an issue. Many students who are good at math are less good at math under time pressure as careless mistakes can creep in when you feel a sense of urgency to finish. Practice tests will help with that and will give you a sense of how much time you really need.
Yeah, it’s definitely possible to improve your math score a lot. Unlike reading, you can actually memorize and learn the content if you put the time into it