PSAT scores determine college readiness.
Scores on the Preliminary SAT, a standardized test issued by the U.S. College Board, determine college readiness and eligibility for national scholarship monies. Students can use their score to measure their verbal and math skills in relationship to their peer group nationwide.
Identification
The PSAT contains three sections: critical reading, math skills and writing skills. In scoring, a correct answer earns a point while an incorrect is penalized a quarter of a point to offset scores gained by guessing. A skipped question is not scored.
Features
The PSAT converts scores in each section to a 20 to 80 point scale. Combined, these scores comprise the Selection Index, which ranges from 60 to 240. A PSAT score report also includes a percentile score, which compares scores against all others in the same grade level who took that test.
Function
Scores gauge a student's readiness for college and the SAT, though the PSAT is slightly easier than the SAT. The percentile score stacks a student skills against those he will be competing against for college slots, and the composite score corresponds to an SAT score by adding a zero on the end.
Significance
Eleventh graders on average score about 141 in their composite score. In 2009, their average score in each section was 47 in reading, 48 in math and 41 in writing.
Benefits
While colleges do not use PSAT scores for admission purposes, they determine eligibility for college scholarships through the National Merit Scholarship Program. Only the top 50,000 of the approximately 1.5 million students who take the test each year receive any level of recognition.
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