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You've probably heard of the PSAT—but what exactly is it, and how much does it really matter? At its most basic level, the PSAT is a practice version of the SAT, which means it's a great way for students to get a taste of SAT-style questions and begin figuring out their strengths and areas for improvement. For some students, it also plays an important role as the qualifying exam for students seeking National Merit Scholarships.
There are actually three versions of the PSAT, designed for different points in a student’s academic journey: the PSAT 8/9 for eighth and ninth graders, the PSAT 10 for sophomores, and the PSAT/NMSQT, most commonly taken by juniors. The PSAT/NMSQT is the version that serves as the qualifying exam for eligible students seeking National Merit Scholarships.
So, how much should students care about the PSAT, and what should they expect on test day? Let’s walk through the length, format, and types of questions students will see on the PSAT so that they can feel cool, calm, and collected come test day.
Length
The PSAT is a digital exam and the same length as the SAT, lasting 2 hours and 14 minutes. This time is split up between two sections:
- Reading and Writing: 64 minutes, 54 questions (split into two modules)
- Math: 70 minutes, 44 questions (split into two modules)
There is also one break during the test: a ten-minute break after the Reading and Writing section. Therefore, the entire sitting takes students, under standard testing conditions, just under 2.5 hours.
Format and common question types
Like the SAT, the PSAT is a digital, adaptive exam that can be taken from a laptop or tablet—either the student's personal device or one provided by their school. Each section begins with an introductory module, and a student's performance on that first set of questions determines the difficulty level of the questions they see in the second module.
The Reading and Writing section tests students' vocabulary knowledge, ability to comprehend and analyze reading passages, mastery of grammatical concepts, and understanding of the rhetorical expression of ideas.
The Math section tests students' mastery of algebra, geometry, data analysis, trigonometry, and other math concepts. Students will answer multiple-choice questions and student-produced response questions.
How is the PSAT different from the SAT?
Taking the digital PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 is almost exactly like taking the SAT: students complete the same number of questions on the same concepts in the same amount of time. There are just two differences:
- PSAT questions are less difficult. This is true across the board, but our team has found it especially noticeable on higher-difficulty Math problems, word-in-context questions, and questions involving charts and graphs.
- There’s a smaller score range. While a perfect SAT score is a 1600, a perfect PSAT score is a 1520. Why? Well, a student's PSAT score is intended to be predictive of their SAT score, but because the PSAT is less difficult, the exams aren’t comparable in score ranges above 1520.
In what ways is the PSAT less difficult than the SAT?
There are dozens of ways—subtle and overt—that the test content is made easier. Let's take just one example:
There's one particular passage and data table that show up—with small differences—on both one of the official PSAT practice tests and one of the official SAT practice tests. Both questions utilize the same data and concern the same research study, but the small differences between them show how the College Board can alter a question and passage to shift their difficulty.
The SAT's answer choices are longer and more complex. In the PSAT's version of the question, answer choices are just a few words each and require students to merely pick an answer that accurately restates data found in the table. However, the SAT’s answer choices are each several lines long and test a student’s ability to first identify a conclusion within the passage and meaningfully use the data as support.
Figures on the PSAT are simpler to navigate. On the PSAT version of this question, rows in the data table are organized in ascending order, smallest to largest. But on the SAT, there’s no apparent order to the rows, making it more challenging for students to identify trends.
Passages on the SAT are more syntactically complex. In this example, the PSAT passage contains no commas or punctuation apart from periods, and there are no transitional words or phrases—a simplicity that makes the text relatively easy to interpret with a single read-through. In contrast, the SAT passage is longer, and the structure of its sentences is more varied and complex; for instance, the passage starts with a long introductory clause that makes it challenging to identify the subjects of the first sentence, and the final sentence starts with “however,” establishing a sudden shift in the passage’s focus, which students will have to accurately interpret before they pick the right answer.
In a nutshell
All in all, the PSAT is an opportunity for students to see how their current skills translate to the SAT and to identify areas they may want to strengthen for future testing and college-level work. The College Board itself says the best way students can prepare for this test is to take challenging courses, keep up with homework, and follow other standard school practices students are likely already doing. It’s important for students to take the PSAT seriously, especially if they're interested in qualifying for the National Merit Scholarship Program, but they should try to avoid putting too much pressure on a single test. Do your best, learn from the experience, and remember ... you’ve got this!
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