PSAT Overview
PSAT stands for Preliminary SAT. It is good practice for the SAT, which contains the same types of questions. The PSAT tests critical reading, math problem solving, and writing skills.
The PSAT Critical Reading sections include reading comprehension questions about full-length and paragraph-length passages. They also include sentence completions.
The PSAT Writing sections include multiple-choice questions on grammar, usage, word choice, and organization. There is no essay section (unlike on the SAT), but schools are provided with a practice essay to help students prepare for the SAT essay.
The PSAT Math sections include multiple-choice questions and grid-in questions, which require the student to generate a response. Topics include numbers and operations; algebra and functions; geometry and measurement; and statistics, probability, and data analysis. Math topics that most first-semester juniors have not yet covered are excluded from the test.
Test Dates, Location and Fees
You must take the PSAT at your high school (Colegio Albania, La Guajira, Colombia). The test is given in October. Talk to your school counselor to sign up. Students taking the PSAT test don't have to pay any fees.
Test Structure
Sections Question Type Number of Questions Time Allotted
Critical Reading Sentence Completion 13 Two 25-minute sections
Passage-based reading 35 Total 50-minutes
Writing Identifying sentence errors 14 One 30-minute section
Improving sentences 20
Improving paragraphs 5 Total 30-minute
Math Multiple-choice 28 Two 25-minute section
Grid-ins 10 Total 50-minute
Scoring
Each section (Critical reading, Writing, and Math) is scored on a scale of 20-80.
You will also receive a score called the Selection Index, which is the sum of those three scores.
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