The PSAT: The Little Test That Could Be Worth BIG Money
Practice for what’s next. Discover what’s possible.
By Sherri Ross, Imagine Scholarships
Money Monday on Red Kite
MONEY MONDAY
Let’s talk about the PSAT.
I know. Try to contain your excitement.
Of all the things happening in high school—football games, homecoming, college visits, driver’s licenses and trying to figure out what on earth you’re going to do with your life—the PSAT doesn’t exactly scream fun October activity.
But if you’re a high school junior, I want you to pay attention to this one.
Because this little practice test can potentially open some very big doors.
First: What exactly IS the PSAT?
Think of the PSAT as the SAT’s younger sibling.
It gives students a chance to experience the types of reading, writing and math questions they’ll encounter on the SAT without an SAT score being sent to colleges.
That’s valuable all by itself.
But during junior year, there’s another reason this test matters.
The PSAT/NMSQT is also the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program.
And that’s where things get interesting.
Get familiar with SAT-style questions.
Understand the National Merit connection.
Use your results to guide preparation.
National Merit is a BIG deal.
I’m going to be very clear here:
Becoming a National Merit Scholar is hard.
Not impossible. But hard.
I’ve worked with thousands of students over the years, and I’ve worked with only a handful of National Merit Scholars.
These are students who perform exceptionally well on the PSAT/NMSQT and then continue through additional steps in the National Merit competition.
And being recognized through National Merit can open some pretty remarkable doors.
There are National Merit-sponsored scholarships, corporate-sponsored awards and college-sponsored scholarships. Some universities also offer substantial merit packages to National Merit Finalists.
A few hours taking the PSAT can potentially lead to some serious college money.
That’s why I never want a strong test-taking junior to walk into the PSAT completely unaware of what’s at stake.
What’s a “qualifying score”?
There isn’t one magic national PSAT score that automatically makes every student a National Merit Semifinalist.
National Merit uses something called a Selection Index, which is calculated from your PSAT/NMSQT section scores.
Then things get even more interesting.
The qualifying level for Semifinalist recognition can vary from year to year and from state to state.
That means a score that qualified a student in one state or one graduating class doesn’t necessarily mean the same score will qualify another student the following year.
The qualifying level can vary by state and year. A past score from another student isn’t a guarantee.
So when someone tells you:
“My cousin got a ___ and was National Merit!”
That’s interesting.
It just isn’t necessarily predictive of what you will need.
National Merit recognition is extremely competitive, and the qualifying landscape can change.
So…how should you prepare?
You do NOT need to turn your house into PSAT Boot Camp.
But juniors who have historically tested well should absolutely spend some time preparing.
Take an official practice test.
Don’t make test day the first time you’ve seen the format.
Use College Board’s official digital practice resources and become comfortable with the test itself.
Learn from what you miss.
Taking 400 practice questions isn’t nearly as useful if you keep making the same mistakes.
After a practice test, ask: Why did I miss this?
- Didn’t know the math?
- Misread the question?
- Ran out of time?
- Changed the correct answer?
- Made a careless mistake?
Your wrong answers are basically leaving you little breadcrumbs. Follow them.
Know your calculator.
The digital PSAT includes access to the Desmos graphing calculator.
Learn how to use it before test day.
A powerful tool isn’t particularly powerful if you’re meeting it for the first time during Question 17.
Practice pacing.
One difficult question should not become your new best friend.
If you’re stuck, make your best choice, move forward and protect your time.
Sleep.
I know. Revolutionary test-prep advice.
But staying up until 1:00 a.m. studying the night before a morning test is a little like training for a marathon by running 15 miles the night before the race.
At some point, more isn’t better.
Eat. Sleep. Show up ready.
But what if I’m NOT National Merit?
It isn’t your potential.
Welcome to an enormous club filled with incredibly smart, successful people.
Seriously.
National Merit is an achievement. It is not a definition of your intelligence, your potential or where you’ll go to college.
Most students will not qualify.
That does not make the PSAT a waste.
In fact, I think one of the best things about the PSAT is what it tells you after the test.
Your score report gives you a snapshot of where you are academically.
Maybe your math is fantastic but reading needs work.
Maybe you’re losing points because of timing.
Maybe you discover that standardized testing is actually one of your strengths.
Great.
Now you know.
And that brings us to the SAT…and ACT.
The PSAT is directly aligned with the SAT, so it’s particularly useful preparation for students who may take the SAT later.
But the bigger benefit applies to both the SAT and ACT:
You’re learning how you perform on a timed, standardized college-admissions test.
You’re practicing:
- Reading carefully under time pressure
- Eliminating wrong answers
- Managing your time
- Recognizing common math concepts
- Maintaining focus through a long test
- Recovering when you hit a difficult section
Those skills transfer.
Your PSAT results can also help you decide what to do next.
- Should you concentrate on the SAT?
- Try an ACT practice test and compare?
- Do you need several months of preparation?
- Or are you already close to the scores you’re hoping to achieve?
The PSAT gives you information—and information gives you options.
A NOTE FOR PARENTS
Start with “What did we learn?”
Please don’t turn PSAT score day into Judgment Day.
Your teenager is going to encounter enough pressure during the college process.
Look at the score together and ask:
“What did we learn?”
Not:
“Why wasn’t this higher?”
Maybe the score points toward National Merit.
Wonderful. Explore it.
Maybe it shows that your student needs some SAT preparation.
Great. Now you know.
Maybe it convinces your student to try the ACT instead.
Also useful.
And maybe the score is simply…fine.
That’s okay, too.
One morning. Plenty to learn.
The PSAT is one morning.
It isn’t your future.
But if you’re a junior, take it seriously enough to give yourself every opportunity available to you.
For a small number of students, it may be the beginning of National Merit recognition and significant scholarship opportunities.
For everyone else?
It’s an excellent dress rehearsal.
And I’d much rather discover that I need to work on timing, algebra or reading comprehension during the rehearsal than during opening night.
Prepare. Take the test. Learn from your results. Then use what you learned to make your next move.
That’s a pretty good return on a morning spent taking the test.
Happy Money Monday!
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Helpful advice for your college journey.
Sherri Ross of Imagine Scholarships shares practical advice to help students and families navigate the financial side of college planning. Through the Red Kite and Imagine Scholarships partnership, we’re bringing families useful tools, trusted resources, and guidance to help make college more affordable.
