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Psat / nmsqt

Psat / nmsqt. Wednesday, october 15, 2014. What is the psat / nmsqt ?.

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Psat / nmsqt

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  1. Psat/nmsqt Wednesday, october 15, 2014

  2. What is the psat/nmsqt? • The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It is administered for the College Board and NMSC by Educational Testing Service (ETS). • The PSAT/NMSQT is the route of entry to NMSC scholarship competitions. Requirements for participation, steps in the competitions, and awards offered are explained in the Official Student Guide to the PSAT/NMSQT and on NMSC’s website, www.nationalmerit.org. • The PSAT is a standardized test designed as one measure of a student’s ability to do college work. • It offers practice for the SAT which many students take in the spring of their junior year. • The PSAT is shorter than the SAT, but the questions are of the same difficulty as those on the SAT.

  3. National merit scholarship corporation (NMsc) • NMSC is an independent, not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. • NMSC conducts two annual competitions for recognition and scholarships – the National Merit Scholarship Program and the National Achievement Scholarship Program. • The PSAT/NMSQT is the screening test for high school students who wish to participate in NMSC programs. • More information can be found at www.nationalmerit.org.

  4. Steps in the national merit scholarship competition • In October 2014, U.S. high school students who take the PSAT/NMSQT and meet other program requirements will enter the 2016 competition for National Merit Scholarship Program recognition and scholarships. • Nearly all program participants (entrants) will be juniors planning to enter college in 2016. • National Merit Scholarship Program uses PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index scores (the sum of critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills scores) to determine 50,000 high-scoring participants who qualify for program recognition.

  5. Design of the test • The test consists of 125 questions divided into 5 sections: • The Critical Reading section contains Sentence Completion questions and Passage-Based Reading questions • The Mathematics section covers concepts of Numbers and Operations, Algebra & Functions, Geometry & Measurement, and Data Analysis, Statistics & Probability • The Writing Skills section contains questions measuring Improving Sentences, Identifying Sentence Errors, and Improving Paragraphs

  6. 5 section breakdown of test • Section 1: 24 CR questions Time: 25 minutes • Section 2: 20 math questions Time: 25 minutes • Section 3: 24 CR questions Time: 25 minutes • Section 4: 18 math questions Time: 25 minutes • Section 5: 39 writing questions Time: 30 minutes

  7. Why should students take the psat? • Receive feedback about critical academic skills • Prepare for the SAT • Start getting ready for college • Enter scholarship competitions • Have access to “My College QuickStart” which is an online college and career planning tool available free of charge to all students who take the PSAT/NMSQT. It is powered by individual student responses to the test and provides personalized information that helps students take the next steps toward college. • Get a head start on college level coursework -- see which AP courses a student may be ready to take and find out which courses are related to college majors that interest individual students

  8. Scoring of psat • For each correct answer, students receive one point. • For questions students omit, no points are received or lost. • For a wrong answer to a multiple-choice question, students lose a quarter (1/4) of a point. • For a wrong answer to a math question that is not multiple choice, no points are lost.

  9. Should students guess on the psat? • The following information is included on the cover of a PSAT test booklet: • If students can eliminate one or more choices as wrong, students increase their chances of choosing the correct answer and earning one point. • If students cannot eliminate any choices, they need to move on trying to answer other questions on the test. • Students can always return to questions they skipped later within the section time frame.

  10. Practice information • SAT Question of the Day (App store – free) • Access the following link: • http://goo.gl/S6zRq • Click on the arrow under “See Last Thirty Questions” – scroll to the earliest date possible and begin practicing questions

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