a step to the future preparing students for the psat/nmsqt this material was produced solely by the...

A Step to the Future

Preparing Students for the PSAT/NMSQT

This material was produced solely by the College Board for its organizational purposes; National Merit Scholarship Corporation was not involved in its production.

2 A Step to the Future: Preparing Students for the PSAT/NMSQT

What is the PSAT/NMSQT®?

• PSAT/NMSQT® stands for Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test

• The PSAT was first administered in 1959; it became the PSAT/NMSQT in 1971 when National Merit Scholarship Corporation began to cosponsor the test.

• The PSAT/NMSQT has kept pace with all the changes to the SAT ® over the years, even moving ahead of the SAT when it added the multiple-choice Writing Skills section in 1997.

• In 2004, over 2.9 million students took the PSAT/NMSQT: 49% were juniors, 51% were sophomores or younger students.


Benefits of taking the PSAT/NMSQT• The test provides:

• the best practice for the SAT Reasoning Test™.

• the option to receive information from colleges and scholarship services through the secure Student Search Service

• the entry point to compete for National Merit Scholarships (juniors only), including the National Achievement Program. It also provides recognition via the National Hispanic Recognition Program.

• information about college major interests

• motivation for students to think actively about preparing for college.


Benefits of taking the PSAT/NMSQTAdditionally, when you take the test, you receive:

• personalized feedback on critical reading, math, and writing skills, including suggestions for improvement.

• information about each test question, including correct answers with full explanations online; students also have their actual test book returned with their score reports.

• insight into how students’ academic skills compare to their college-bound peers.

• free access to MyRoad, a dynamic Web-based career, major, and college exploration tool

What is on the PSAT/NMSQT?What is it testing?


What does the PSAT/NMSQT actually test?

• Like the SAT, the test assesses the academic skills that students develop over the years, primarily through their academic course work.

• It measures reading and math reasoning and writing skills that are critical for success in college.


What does the PSAT/NMSQT actually test?

• Critical reading skills—using content from: humanities, social studies, natural sciences, and literature.

• Math reasoning skills—using content from: number and operations; algebra and functions; geometry and measurement; data analysis, statistics, and probability.

• Writing skills—focus on editing, grammar, usage, and organization.


PSAT/NMSQTCritical Reading Questions

• 13 Sentence Completions

• 35 Passage-Based Reading Questions (100- to 800-word passages)


PSAT/NMSQTMath Questions

• 28 Multiple-Choice Questions

• 10 Student-Produced Response Questions(”Grid-ins”)


PSAT/NMSQTWriting Skills Questions

• 20 Improving Sentences Questions

• 14 Identifying Sentence Error Questions

• 5 Improving Paragraph Questions


How does the PSAT/NMSQT compare to the SAT?

• Same question types, except the SAT includes an essay assignment.

• PSAT/NMSQT is 2 hours, 10 minutes; the SAT is 3 hours, 45 minutes.

• SAT will have a few math questions from third-year math courses; PSAT/NMSQT will not. (Samples of third-year math questions are available on www.collegeboard.com/psatextra after you receive your score report in December.)

http://www.collegeboard.com/psatextra

Sample PSAT/NMSQT Questions


Critical Reading SectionSentence Completions

Roger said the report was significant; Heather contradicted him, saying that all the information presented was ------- .

(A) contemporary

(B) scintillating

(C) objective

(D) irrevocable

(E) immaterial


Critical Reading SectionSentence Completions

Roger said the report was significant; Heather contradicted him, saying that all the information presented was ------- .

(A) contemporary

(B) scintillating

(C) objective

(D) irrevocable

(E) immaterial

Because Heather is contradicting Roger, the correct response is the word that is most nearly the opposite of "significant.“ Choice (E) is correct. "Immaterial" means inconsequential or irrelevant. Information that is immaterial is by definition not significant.


Critical Reading SectionPassage-Based Reading

• Excerpt from reading passage:

After I left the room, I began to sift my impressions. Only the day before, an acquaintance had warned me to watch carefully for sleight-of-hand tricks, especially as the man had earlier been a stage conjuror.



The “acquaintance” mentioned in line 2 can best be described as a

(A) skeptic

(B) hypocrite

(C) hoaxer

(D) confidant

(E) mystic



The “acquaintance” mentioned in line 2 can best be described as a

(A) skeptic

(B) hypocrite

(C) hoaxer

(D) confidant

(E) mystic

The acquaintance mentioned in line 2 warns the author to "watch carefully for sleight-of-hand tricks." Choice (A) is correct. In warning the author to watch out for tricks, the acquaintance is showing that he is skeptical about the telepathist's supposed powers.


Math SectionMultiple Choice

If ax + bx = 36, what is the value of x when a + b = 12?

(A) 3

(B) 6

(C) 12

(D) 24

(E) 48


Math SectionMultiple Choice

If ax + bx = 36, what is the value of x when a + b = 12?

(A) 3

(B) 6

(C) 12

(D) 24

(E) 48

The expression ax + bx is equivalent to (a + b) x, so the equation ax + bx = 36 is equivalent to (a + b) x = 36. When a + b = 12, the equation becomes 12x = 36, which can be solved to get x = 3.


• If — + — = — ,

what is the value of h?

h 1 5h4 3 6

Math SectionStudent-Produced Response


If — + — = — ,

what is the value of h?

h 1 5h4 3 6

Math SectionStudent-Produced Response

4 / 7

• Multiply each member of the equation by 12 (the common denominator) to get 3h + 4 = 10h• Subtract 3h from both sides to get 7h = 4• Divide by 7• h = 4/7.


Math SectionKnow the Student-Produced Response Directions

• Read and understand the directions ahead of time.


Math SectionStudent-Produced Response Practice Grids


Math SectionCalculators are encouraged

• A scientific or graphing calculator is recommended.

• Bring one with which you are familiar.


A few barges still move oil up to Hartford, but in the old days they had more traffic then.

(A) but in the old days they had more traffic then

(B) but in the old days traffic was heavier

(C) but in the old days they had a lot more

(D) whereas the traffic was a lot more in the old days

(E) whereas then there was more traffic in the old days

Writing SectionImproving Sentences


A few barges still move oil up to Hartford, but in the old days they had more traffic then.

(A) but in the old days they had more traffic then

(B) but in the old days traffic was heavier

(C) but in the old days they had a lot more

(D) whereas the traffic was a lot more in the old days

(E) whereas then there was more traffic in the old days

Writing SectionIdentifying Sentence Errors

Choice (B) is correct. It avoids the errors of the original by eliminating both the unnecessary adverb, "then," and the vague pronoun, "they."


The electronic computer is a technological triumph that scientists

have developed, mastered, and then put it to constantly

increasing use. No error.


A B C

D E


The electronic computer is a technological triumph that scientists

have developed, mastered, and then put it to constantly

increasing use. No error.


A B C

D E

The error in this sentence occurs at (B), where an unnecessary pronoun is used. The object of the verb "have . . . put" (like the object of the verbs "have developed" and "have . . . mastered") is the relative pronoun "that," which refers to "technological triumph." The pronoun "it" is therefore unnecessarily inserted after "put."


Writing SectionImproving Paragraphs(1) The last century was a time of great technological progress. (2) Life is more convenient, comfortable, and efficient today than ever before. (3) Yet this has created new concerns.

Which of the following versions of sentence 3 (reproduced below) is most effective?

Yet this has created new concerns.

(A) Although this has created new concerns.

(B) Yet this progress has created new concerns.

(C) Yet these have created new concerns.

(D) Yet this has created new concerns to worry about.

(E) New concerns have been created.


Writing SectionImproving Paragraphs(1) The last century was a time of great technological progress. (2) Life is more convenient, comfortable, and efficient today than ever before. (3) Yet this has created new concerns.

Which of the following versions of sentence 3 (reproduced below) is most effective?

Yet this has created new concerns.

(A) Although this has created new concerns.

(B) Yet this progress has created new concerns.

(C) Yet these have created new concerns.

(D) Yet this has created new concerns to worry about.

(E) New concerns have been created.

Choice (B) is correct. The vague pronoun "this" is replaced by "this progress," which clearly refers to the progress mentioned in sentence 1.


Writing SectionPractice for the SAT Essay

A practice SAT essay assignment will be printed on the PSAT/NMSQT Student Score Report. Students can go online to www.collegeboard.com/psatextra to see sample papers written for that essay assignment and learn about how the SAT essay will be scored.

http://www.collegeboard.com/psatextra

Scoring thePSAT/NMSQT


How is the PSAT/NMSQT scored?

• Multiple-choice questions: 1 point for each correct; 1/4 point deducted for each incorrect

• Math grid-ins: 1 point for each correct; 0 points for each incorrect (nothing deducted)

• 0 points for omitted questions (nothing added, nothing deducted)


How is the PSAT/NMSQT scored?

• Scores are reported on a scale of 20–80 for each section: critical reading, math, and writing skills.

• For juniors, 47–50 is about average; for sophomores, 43–46 is about average.


How does a PSAT/NMSQT score compare to an SAT score?

• Some students add a “0” to the two-digit PSAT/NMSQT score to give a rough estimate of a three-digit SAT score.

• A more reliable SAT projected score range will be on your PSAT/NMSQT Score Report.

• SAT writing score = approximately 1/3 essay scaled score + 2/3 multiple-choice score.

• Students who have taken the PSAT/NMSQT average higher scores on the SAT than those who have not.


Personalized Skills Information

• Lists skills that have the best chance of improvement with additional work.

• Includes advice, written by teachers, on how to improve those skills.

The PSAT/NMSQT Score Report has helpful information to help students improve their skills.

Getting ready

to take the PSAT/NMSQTLong-term and short-term preparation


Long-Term Test PreparationDeveloping Skills

Students should:

• READ

• improve vocabulary and develop skills through continuous reading

• read more books than just those required for class


Long-Term Test PreparationDeveloping Skills (continued)

• Students should:

• exercise, develop, and strengthen critical thinking, higher-order reasoning, and problem-solving abilities

• take the most challenging courses they can


Short-term Test Preparation

• Students should:• take the full-length practice test in the Official

Student Guide and get comfortable with the test format. Take time to score it, to better understand the scoring process.

• Visit www.collegeboard.com/psat for additional practice test items

• Sign up to receive the SAT Question of the Day at www.collegeboard.com

• Understand “formula scoring” and “educated guessing”

• Become familiar with the types of test questions, the directions, and test format


Test-Readiness Strategies

• Learn the directions beforehand

• Read all the answer choices

• Do scratch work in the test book

• Work steadily

• If you skip a question, be sure to note it in the test book, and leave it blank on the answer sheet. Return to it if you have time.

• Remember: students don’t have to answer every question to score well


Be sure to take the Practice Test in the 2005 Official Student Guide


Test-readiness Strategies

• In most sections, the questions are arranged from easy to more difficult (except for passage-based reading in critical reading section and improving paragraphs in writing skills section)

• Wild guessing is discouraged, but students should make educated guesses.


Wild Guessing


Educated Guessing


Answer Key


To learn more…visit www.collegeboard.com


Take the PSAT/NMSQT• How to sign up: ____________________________________

(Be sure to pick up the Official Student Guide with Practice Test.)

• Test Day/Date: ____________________________________

• Time: ____________________________________________

• Where: ___________________________________________

• Bring: Two #2 Pencils

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