PSAT

WHAT IS THE PSAT

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

Students take the PSAT to: Prepare for the SAT Enter competitions for scholarships (Junior year) Begin college and career planning Receive information from colleges Help assess academic skills necessary for college-level

work

PSAT at Cathedral

The test, including all administrative tasks, takes approximately 3 hours.

• When: Weds, Oct 13th

• Who: Sophomores and Juniors

• Where: Classrooms will be assigned

HOW TO PREPARE

Visit collegeboard.com to learn about the PSAT http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/

about/ontest.html Use your PSAT practice guide Know the difference between educated

guessing and random guessing Learn the format and timing of the test Know the directions for each type of question

The PSAT has 5 sections that measure 3 areas of competence:• Two 25-minute Critical Reading sections• Two 25-minute Math sections• One 30-minute Writing Skills section

All sections are designed to measure knowledge and skills developed throughout students’ years of study, as well as critical-thinking ability.

THE SECTIONS: BRIEF OVERVIEW

CRITICAL READING

Sentence Completion One or two words are missing in a sentence

Passage-Based Reading Tests students’ ability to read, understand and

interpret reading passages. Passages are usually drawn from actual published

works

MATHEMATICSNumbers and Operations

Algebra Functions

Geometry and Measurement

Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability

Arithmetic word problems

Quadratic equations

Area and perimeter of a polygon

Data interpretation (graphs & tables)

Properties of integers

Algebraic word problems

Area and circumference of a circle

Statistics (mean, median, mode)

Rational numbers

Liner equations and inequalities

Pythagorean Theorem

Probability

Counting techniques

Absolute values

Slope

WRITING SKILLS

Improving Sentences Part or all of a sentence will be underlined; students

will choose which form of the sentence is most correct.

Identifying Sentence Errors Four parts of the sentence are underlined and

students select which part (if any) is incorrect

Improving Paragraphs Students are asked to consider revisions in the context

of an essay

DAY OF THE TEST

Eat a healthy breakfast Come to school in uniform Bring a calculator and No. 2 pencils Do not bring extra materials

EACH SECTION IS GIVEN A SCORE FROM 20-80.THIS IS COMPARABLE TO THE SAT POINT SCALE OF 200-800.

SCORING THE TEST

Questions?