PSAT, SAT, ACT---what does it all mean to me

Scores Content Tested Purpose

PSAT 20-80 Reading, Writing, Math

Merit Scholarship, Corporate and University Scholarships, College Reviews, Practice for SAT, ACT

SAT 200-800 Reading, Writing, Math

Bright Futures, College Admissions, Admission into Honors Programs, College/University Scholarship

ACT 1-36 Reading, Writing, Math, Science

Bright Futures, College Admissions, Admission into Honors Programs, College/University Scholarship

What are the National Merit Scholarships—who gets them? The National Merit Corporation awards National Merit scholarships:Of all the juniors who take the exam, 1.5 million, • 50,000 receive letters of commendation• 16,000 become semi-finalists• 14,000 become finalists• 8,500 receive National Merit Scholarships

($2,500 per year)

I won’t be one of 8,500 winners—I have better things to do.

Scoring high enough on the PSAT to become a Scholar, a Finalist or a Semi-Finalist can equal big money at some schools—public and private.

School National Merit Finalist National Merit Semi-Finalist

University of Alabama Full ride Full tuition with 3.5 GPA guaranteed

University of Alabama-Huntsville

Full ride Full tuition plus guaranteed

Alabama State University Full ride guaranteed Full ride guaranteed

Auburn University Full tuition plus guaranteed Full tuition plus guaranteedU of Central Florida Full tuition plus $9,000.00 guaranteed

University of Kentucky

Full ride first year & full tuition plus for remaining 3 years guaranteed

Full ride first year & full tuition plus for remaining 3 years guaranteed

University of Nebraska, Lincoln Full tuition plus guaranteed Full tuition plus guaranteed

Ohio State University Full tuition Full tuition

Tests are long, difficult, and boring—what else will I gain?

The test takes 2 hours and 10 minutes.

The questions range from easy to difficult.

For the first time in your high school career, your test scores will be compared to the scores of students across the country who will be applying for college in the 2014-2015 school year.

I always get 4’s or 5’s on FCAT---I don’t have to worry about the SAT or ACT. So, the PSAT won’t tell me anything useful.

Actually, there is not a correlation of FCAT scores to SAT or ACT scores. The content and level of difficulty are very different.

Your best indicator of how you will perform on the SAT or ACT is the PSAT.

So, exactly what will I learn from my scores and how do my scores translate into SAT or ACT scores?

A quick way to estimate this student’s SAT score would be to add a zero:Critical Reading: 590 Mathematics: 750 Writing: 630

Convert ACT to SATReading MathSAT ACT % SAT ACT %800 36 99 800 36 99770 35 99 770 33 98740 33 98 740 31 96710 32 96 710 30 94680 31 93 680 28 90650 29 90 650 26 85620 27 84 620 25 80590 25 78 590 24 72560 24 71 560 22 64530 22 61 530 21 55500 20 51 500 19 45

What else can my PSAT scores tell me about my test-taking abilities?

The analysis shows you which questions you answered correctly. It also shows you whether the questions you missed were categorized as easy, medium, or hard for level of difficulty.

The analysis of the math questions also shows you the type of math question you answered incorrectly: algebra, geometry, number sense, or data analysis.

The analysis also shows a total picture of the number and types of questions you answered incorrectly and the number of points you lost because of incorrect answers (1/4 point for each incorrect answer is subtracted from your total correct).

Yeah, so how does all this information help me?

DO YOU WANT TO GET THE VERY BEST POSSIBLE SCORE THAT YOU CAN ON THE SAT OR ACT AND EARN SCHOLARSHIPS AND ADMITTANCE INTO A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY OF YOUR CHOICE?

Or, would you rather spend several Saturday mornings taking and retaking SAT’s and ACT’s only to see your scores fluctuate slightly and then have to listen to your parents complain that YOU JUST AREN’T TAKING THESE TESTS SERIOUSLY!!!!

If you prepare correctly, you should not have to retake college entrance exams several times. Examining your PSAT scores with your parents and you counselor will help you understand

• If you are better suited for SAT (strong vocabulary skills, strong critical reading skills, strong writing scores, decent math scores)• Or ACT (your math scores were significantly

higher than your reading or writing scores)

Examining your math scores will let you know what areas of math you need to review and strengthen.

If the math questions you missed were in the easy and medium category, you know you need to practice these types of questions because getting all the easy and medium questions correct can earn you a score of 600 on SAT or 26 on ACT.

If you answered the easy and most of the medium math questions correctly, then you know you need to practice the more difficult questions before you take the SAT or ACT.

Why is there a writing score but no essay?

Writing questions are actually editing questions . Your knowledge of grammar and usage is measured rather than your ability to compose an essay. There will be a writing section on the SAT and ACT, but there will be a multiple choice section, also. Your PSAT writing score will help you determine how much you need to review grammar and usage.

Along with your PSAT score sheet, you will also receive your test booklet so that you can look over the questions you answered incorrectly. This process will give you insight into your test –taking skills (did you miss questions you should have answered correctly or did you bubble incorrectly?)

Your SAT and ACT scores are extremely important in unlocking the next door to your future. Taking the PSAT is an invaluable tool for letting you know how much and what type of preparation you need to complete before you take those tests.

There is no good reason NOT to take the test as long as you are able to come to school on test day.

You don’t understand—I have terrible test anxiety!

Taking the PSAT will give you practice—and you need to practice so that you will feel confident and more relaxed when you take the SAT or ACT.

Finally, once you have taken the PSAT, all sorts of colleges and universities will send you letters telling you they want you to apply—it’s really cool!

TEST YOUR MATH

The sum of five positive integers is 100. If the smallest of these integers is 10, what is the largest possible value of one of the other four integers?

A) 46B) 54C) 64D) 84E) 90

You want to find the largest possible integer that will be added to 10 and 3 other integers that must be greater than 10. The smallest integers greater than 10 are 11, 12, and 13. The sum of 11, 12, and 13 is 36. Subtracting 36 from 100 leaves 54.54 +10+ 11 + 12 + 13 = 100

, then

A) 1/5B) C) 1

D) 5

5 𝑦=𝑥√55 𝑦√5

x

5x=

𝑦 √525 𝑦√5

𝑦 √51 ×

√525 𝑦

√2525

525