Fall 2012Interpreting Your PSAT Results

Brought to you by The College Board and Washburn High School

PSAT Results: First considerations• Who sees these scores?• A test of college readiness or test aptitude?• Strong predictor of future SAT score without

intervention.• A factor in admissions, but not the primary factor

except at the most elite institutions.• ACT or SAT?

• Look at PLAN score on Naviance (add 1-5 points for proj. ACT)

• April/June testing• Can take multiple times; colleges take best score• Not required at 2-year schools or at time of transfer

CollegeSAT Average Score

All StudentsACT Average Score

All StudentsACT Average Score

WHS Students

U of M, Twin Cities 1270 26 21

University of St. Thomas 1180 25 24

Hamline University 1047 24 20

Gustavus Adolphus N/A 26 21

Augsburg College 1081 22 18

MSU, Mankato N/A 22 18

St. Cloud State 985 21 18

U of M, Duluth 1090 23 22

Carleton College 1400 31 *

UW, Madison 1360 28 24

UW, Stout N/A 21 20

University of Michigan 1335 29 *

New York University 1345 29 *

Stanford University 1455 32 *

Harvard University 1490 32 *

Arizona State University 1099 23 *

Spelman College 1039 22 *

National Merit Scholarships• 1.5 million entrants, top 50,000 selected

• Roughly 96th percentile or 200 on Index; varies by year and state

• School notified in April about “Commendable Performance”

• September 2012 letter indicating Semi-Finalists (16,000)

• 15,000 Finalists chosen in November 2012• 8200 Scholarships awarded• Additional 800 scholarships for African-American

students

4 Major Parts of Your PSAT/NMSQT Results

Your Scores

Your Skills

Your Answers

Critical Reading

Mathematics

Writing Skills

Understanding Your

PSAT/NMSQT Results

Next Steps

3 Test Sections

Your Scores

PercentileIf you are a junior, your scores are compared to those of other juniors.If you are a sophomore or younger student, your scores are compared to those of sophomores.

Score

You can see your projected SAT score online in My College QuickStart (www.collegeboard.com/quickstart).

Score Range

National Merit Scholarship Corporation Information

The Entry Requirements section displays information you provided on your answer sheet.

The Percentile compares your performance to that of other college-bound juniors.

The Selection Index is the sum of your critical reading, mathematics and writing skills scores.

If it has an asterisk, you do not meet all of the eligibility requirements for the competition.

See how you did on each skill. The same skills are tested on the SAT.

Your Skills

You can try hundreds of practice questions, organized by skill, online in My College QuickStart (www.collegeboard.com/quickstart).

Your Answers

You will get your test book back with your PSAT/NMSQT results, so that you can review the questions.

You can also review each test question in My College QuickStart.

Your Answers: Student-Produced

Responses

Some of the math problems required you to grid in answers instead of selecting an option. For these questions, you will see the correct answer(s) written out.

What’s next?

Use the access code on your report to log in to My College QuickStart, a personalized college and career planning kit. There you can:

• Search for colleges• Get a personalized SAT study plan• Take a personality test to find majors and careers that fit you

www.collegeboard.com/quickstart

Next Steps

PSAT Reading + Math Projected SAT Projected ACT“Average” Admitted

Student156-160 1560-1600 35-36151-155 1510-1550 34146-150 1460-1500 33143-145 1430-1450 32 Stanford, Harvard139-142 1390-1420 31 Carleton College134-138 1340-1380 30131-133 1310-1330 29 University of Michigan127-130 1270-1300 28 U W, Madison123-126 1230-1260 27119-122 1190-1220 26 U of M, Twin Cities115-118 1150-1180 25 St. Thomas111-114 1110-1140 24 Hamline 107-110 1070-1100 23 U of M, Duluth103-106 1030-1060 22 Augsburg, MSU Mankato99-102 990-1020 21 UW , Stout95-98 950-980 20 91-94 910-940 1987-90 870-900 18 82-86 820-860 1778-81 780-810 1672-77 720-770 1567-71 670-710 1460-66 600-660 1352-59 520-590 1248-51 480-510 1145-47 450-470 1040-44 400-440 7-9

You have your score……… Now what?• Keep your grades up• Keep your grades up• Keep your grades up• Don’t overreact to your results• Consider doing some test prep….details coming

after the break• Register for the ACT or SAT (you can take it

multiple times)• Keep your grades up• Register for challenging classes next year

My College QuickStart

Log in to your personalized account at www.collegeboard.com/quickstart