How To Check PSAT Scores and 3 Ways To Use Them

PSAT results are coming out now – you may have already seen yours! If not, here’s how to find your PSAT results, what they mean, and what to do next.

When And How To Check PSAT Scores

PSAT results are usually released around the beginning of December and your school will get a copy about a week before they’re ready for you. 

There are two ways that you can check your PSAT scores: ask your counselor for a PDF copy or access them through your BigFuture School mobile app/College Board account.

College Board should text you when your scores are ready. You can log into the app to view them there. Questions? Read through the BigFuture School Frequently Asked Questions for more instructions and details.

Or you can log into your College Board account and check your PSAT scores online.

What PSAT Scores Mean

Now that you know how to check your PSAT scores, what do they mean?

Your total score can be anywhere from 320 to 1520, unlike the SAT which ranges from 400 to 1600.

For a comprehensive guide on analyzing your results, click on this free, downloadable breakdown of your PSAT/NMSQ score report:

Remember, colleges NEVER see the score. First, your score tells you about your National Merit Scholarship standing. If you’re selected as a National Merit semifinalist, you’ll need to do follow-up work. (Keep reading for more information in the “Next Steps After The PSAT” section.)

For most students and their families, the primary function of a PSAT score is to tell you what to work on for your upcoming SATs. 

Of course, if you’re a sophomore or younger, your PSAT score will also tell you what to work on for taking the PSAT again as a junior when your scores can count as your National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

What Is A Good PSAT Score? 

While this is a totally fair question, it’s also a bit of a complicated one. 

The truest answer is that the best score is one that aligns with your academic goals at this point. 

If you’re looking to be competitive for a National Merit Scholarship, you’ll want to be aware that the top 1% of test-taking juniors (think the 1460-1520 range) qualify as semi-finalists competing for prizes and scholarships. Every year, there are approximately 16,000 semi-finalists.

If you’re looking to get feedback on where you need to improve, really any score that you feel good about is good! 

Pay attention to individual subject scores to see how you did on the math or writing and reading sections. Then use the examples of what types of questions you missed to help you prepare for the SAT, ACT, and other standardized tests you take for school.

If your report says you got 89th percentile, that means you scored higher than 89% of a typical high school student, according to the College Board.

How The PSATs Are Scored

The PSATs are calculated similarly to how the SATs are scored. 

The PSAT is composed of two main subjects: English has 54 total questions, and the Math has 44 total questions. The two subject scores are calculated on a scale between 160 and 760, and then your total score is the sum of your two section scores which makes your total PSAT a sum between 320 and 1520.

Individual questions are weighted based on the difficulty of the question, with the hardest questions worth the most, potentially as high as 20 points each. However, we do not have the exact formula.

Next Steps After The PSAT

The most important thing you can do with your PSAT scores is to let them help you personalize a study plan for future college entrance standardized exams.

Usually, how you do on the PSAT is a good indicator of how you will do on the since they are almost identical tests. So if you did well, go you! Keep doing what you’re doing. 

Here are three additional ways you can use your score:

1. If you have areas you’d like to do better, familiarize yourself with the different sections of the SAT and start studying the specific SAT subject sections that could benefit from improvement.
2. If you didn’t feel great about the PSAT, you could explore the differences between the ACT and SAT to see if that might be a better fit for you because colleges are often happy for you to submit whichever one you prefer.
3. Start prepping. Whichever you choose, don’t skimp on test prep. 

Remember, your prospective colleges don’t see your PSAT scores but they do see your SAT or ACT scores and there is a ton of scholarship money on the line.

For help studying or making a college application plan that will gain you acceptance letters and scholarship awards, even when the process gets more and more complicated every year, our sister company March Consulting is here to help make the college admissions process make sense for you and your family.

What’s next for National Merit?

If you’re a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist, you’ll find out next fall (during your senior year), and then you’ll need to fill out an application and submit a comparable SAT or ACT score.

More questions? Reach out to the PSAT experts here.