Over three million high school students take the Preliminary SAT, or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT or NMSQT) each year. Like the SAT, the PSAT is designed to measure the ability to understand and process elements of reading, writing, and mathematics. Many students use this exam to get feedback on their strengths and weaknesses in preparation for the SAT. In addition, students may qualify for the prestigious National Merit Scholarship program based on their PSAT scores.
The PSAT consists of five sections:
The whole test requires 2 hours and 10 minutes. The two Critical Reading sections and the two Math sections can appear in any order among the first four sections. Writing Skills is always the final section of the test
The Critical Reading sections of the PSAT measure the ability to understand and analyze written material. Since all Critical Reading questions are multiple-choice, incorrect answer choices on this section carry a .25-point penalty.
There are two 25-minute Critical Reading sections, each of which consists of 24 questions. Together, the two sections contain a total of 13 sentence completion questions and 35 reading comprehension questions, for a total of 48 questions.
Sentence completion questions consist of a sentence that contains one or two blanks. The correct answer choice contains the words or phrases that can be substituted into those blanks to best complete the intended meaning of the sentence.
Reading comprehension questions consist of a passage of up to 850 words long, followed by a series of questions that test your understanding of that passage.
The Math sections of the PSAT measure the ability to reason quantitatively, solve mathematical problems, and interpret data presented in graphical form. These sections focus on four areas of mathematics that are typically covered in the first three years of American high school education:
There are two 25-minute Math sections on the PSAT. One consists of 20 multiple-choice questions; the other consists of 8 multiple-choice questions and 10 grid-in questions (28 multiple-choice and 10 grid-in total). Either section can be the first Math section to appear on the test.
Grid-in questions require test-takers to enter answers into a special grid on their score sheets. The grid can hold only four places and can accommodate only positive numbers and zero. Answers that are not integers may be entered either as fractions or as decimals (though mixed numbers must be converted to improper fractions). There is no penalty for incorrect answers on grid-in questions.
Students are permitted (and encouraged) to bring a calculator for the Math sections of the PSAT. Approved calculators include four-function calculators, scientific calculators, and graphing calculators. Calculators that require an outlet or make noise are prohibited, as are calculators that have an electronic writing pad or typewriter-style keypad. Laptop computers are also prohibited.
Writing Skills are tested in a single 30-minute section that always appears as the fifth section of the PSAT. Questions on this section measure the ability to recognize and conform to the conventions of standard written English. Unlike the SAT, the PSAT does not have an essay. All Writing Skills questions are multiple-choice (and thus carry a .25-point penalty for each incorrect answer).
The Writing Skills section consists of three types of questions: 14 questions involve identifying sentence errors; 20 questions involve improving sentences, and 5 questions involve improving paragraphs (for a total of 39 questions).
Identifying Sentence Errors: These questions test your understanding of the basic elements of written English, such as grammar, usage, word choice, and idiom. Test-takers must select the answer choice that identifies the error in the sentence (or the one that indicates there is no error).
Improving Sentences: These questions present a sentence, at least part of which has been underlined. Test-takers must select the answer choice that contains the most effective way to phrase the underlined portion.
Improving Paragraphs: These questions present one or more paragraphs of information, each sentence of which has been numbered. Test takers must revise, rearrange, or remove some of these sentences (or add new material) in order to improve the logic, coherence, or organization of the paragraphs as a whole.
