Category Archives: PSAT

Understanding Your PSAT Score Report

Posted on by in Test Prep, PSAT.

This year, juniors took the digital PSAT in October. As promised, scores are available earlier than ever. Some students’ scores were released on November 6th. If you did not get your score then, it should be available today, November 16th. You can view your scores at collegeboard.org. Just log in and click “PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9 Scores.”

Understanding Scores

You can find information on interpreting your scores here, including a link to download the BigFuture School mobile, app, which offers information about scholarships and financial aid, and college/career advice based on your score (take with a big grain of salt!) The app also shows your PSAT percentiles and your NMSC Selection Index Score and tells you whether you meet the entry requirements for the National Merit Scholarship Program. You can also request a pdf of your score report with the same information from your school’s guidance counselor.

Need More Help? Free Consultations and Webinars

You can also get help interpreting your scores and figuring out next steps from More Than A Teacher. Schedule a free consultation or attend one of our free webinars. The next one is December 6th at 6:30 pm, and it will be recorded for the benefit of those who can’t make it.

Try a Practice ACT

Before scheduling a consultation, you may consider taking a practice ACT. Our experts can then compare scores to decide whether the SAT or ACT would be a better fit and help you plan for spring testing.

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@morethanateacher.com or 512-453-7272.

Avoid Delays on Test Day! Updates to College Board’s Bluebook App

Posted on by in Test Prep, PSAT.

PSAT season is around the corner, and this year students will take the new digital test on the College Board’s Bluebook app. That is, if the app doesn’t crash.

No doubt the College Board’s IT team is triple checking every line of code to avoid a disaster. But students—and schools—must do their part as well.

Like any app, Bluebook requires periodic updates. These are set to occur automatically. However, some school-issued devices have automatic updates blocked by default. If you get an error message when you try to open your Bluebook app, contact your school’s counselor ASAP and let them know what’s happening. As soon as the school approves the update, you should be good to go. You can read what the CB has to say about updates https://bluebook.collegeboard.org/technology/updates.

We recommend checking the app during the week leading up to your test. You may also want to check with your school counselor to make sure any last-minute updates will be approved in time for PSAT day. And cross your fingers, knock on wood, etc…

Learn More About the Digital SAT!

Posted on by in College Admission, Test Prep, SAT, PSAT.

The SAT is changing–a lot! Here’s an overview of the new digital format, followed by an in-depth look at the new math and verbal content.

DATES
The digital SAT will debut in March of 2024. But class-of-2025 juniors will get a preview in October of 2023, when the digital PSAT arrives. Most students graduating in 2024 will not be affected by the changes.

SCORING
The 1600 scale will remain the same, and new digital-test scores will be equivalent to old paper-test scores, so colleges will not need to adjust score requirements. Colleges that superscore will most likely superscore across formats (so students graduating in 2025 might want to take the old paper test in the fall of 2023 before taking the digital test the following spring.)

DIGITAL SAT OVERVIEW
Students will take the new SAT and PSAT with College Board’s Bluebook app, using a personal or school-provided laptop or tablet. (College Board plans to provide approved devices to students who would not otherwise have access to them.)

The new test has four sections (two verbal, then two math) and is section-level adaptive. When students start the test, the app will download three sets of verbal problems. The first set will be “medium” difficulty. Students who perform above a certain threshold score (TBD) on this first section will then advance to a more difficult verbal section. Students performing below the threshold will get an easier second verbal section. (Same for the math.)

The College Board (CB) has not released scoring details, but it’s safe to assume that harder questions (or sections) will be more heavily weighted. Students will not be punished for advancing to a more difficult section.

The digital format comes with some cool features like an on-screen timer (that can be hidden until the last five minutes of a section), on-screen highlighter/annotator tool, and an answer-eliminator tool. Students can also move back and forth within a section and flag problems for review. Students can see an overview of their answers, unanswered questions, and flagged problems.
Best of all, students will have access to an on-screen Desmos-style graphing calculator for every math problem. Students can also bring their own approved calculators. Scratch paper will be provided.
Once time is up for a section, a student’s work is automatically saved, and they no longer have access to that section.

ENHANCED SECURITY
The CB says the new test will be more secure. The Bluebook app will be “locked down,” meaning students will not be able to open other apps while testing. The CB should be able to
detect any efforts to hack the test as they’ll have a complete log of any actions taken on the device during the test.

Cheating will also be more difficult as each student’s test will be unique, generated by an algorithm that pulls from a large set of problems tagged with problem type and difficulty.
Due to the unique problem set of each test, and the fact that the CB plans to reuse problems, the Question-and-Answer Service (QAS) will be discontinued. Students will not be able to review problems or see their answers after the test.

ACCOMMODATIONS
Accommodations will not change. Students whose accommodations require it will be provided a linear (non-adaptive) paper test.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NEW VERBAL TEST
The Reading and Writing tests will now be combined. Each Reading-and-Writing (RW) section will be 32 minutes and consist of 27 questions, the first half focusing on reading, the second half on writing. Problems will get progressively more difficult within each half.
The new verbal test looks to be somewhat easier than the current one. Both reading and writing passages are now much shorter (25-100 words instead of 600-700), with only one question per passage. Also, the “Great Global Conversation” reading passage type has been eliminated. (Some of the passages on the currently available practice tests are over one-hundred years old, but most are contemporary.) Best of all, the new one-question-per-passage format means no more paired-evidence-based questions, which are some of the most difficult questions on the current test.
Writing questions will no longer test commonly confused words or idiomatic phrases. Also, the somewhat confusing “NO CHANGE” answer choice has been eliminated from the writing questions.
The one content change that I see causing difficulty for many students is the addition of problems involving poetry, including, for example, sonnets by Shakespeare. But these problems appear to be rare, so students don’t necessarily need to start reading the Oxford Book of English Verse (unless they just want to!)

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NEW MATH TEST
Big changes are coming to the math test as well. Each of the two math sections is now 35 minutes with 22 questions that increase in difficulty within a section. (Remember, the better you perform on the first “medium” difficulty section, the more likely you are to get a slightly more difficult second math section.)
Math content won’t change much, but imaginary and complex numbers will no longer appear on the test. Also, the new format will make certain types of problems easier. As noted above, an on-screen graphing calculator is now available for every math question. Graph equations can be entered in standard form, which makes system-of-equation (SOE) problems a piece of cake! Just enter each equation and graph to see where they overlap.

Grid-in problems are now mixed in with multiple-choice problems, and grid-in answers can now be negative.

UNSCORED QUESTIONS
Each of the four sections will have two unscored questions so that the CB can test out new problems for future tests. Students will not know which questions are unscored.

CONCLUSION
Overall, the new test looks much friendlier. At 2 hours and 14 minutes, the digital SAT will be shorter than the ACT. Many of the hardest question types have been eliminated. The in-app graphing calculator, on-screen timer, and the ability to flag problems for review are welcome features of the new digital format. Students probably won’t have much use for the highlighter since reading passages are so short, but it’s there if you need it!

You can read more about the new digital SAT at collegeboard.org. Currently there are four practice tests (with answer explanations) available in the Bluebook app. More Than A Teacher will debut digital SAT classes in June of 2023. We will continue to provide “classic” SAT courses until the old test is retired in 2024.

Register for a course at morethanateacher.com. Or contact us to book private tutoring: info@morethanateacher.com or 512-453-7272.

Understanding the National Merit Scholarship Process

Posted on by in Scholarships, Test Prep, PSAT.

Do you have questions about National Merit and the PSAT? Read on to learn more about what National Merit is and how students can qualify for scholarships. At the end of this post you will find a list of colleges that have a reputation for offering generous scholarships to students who have earned National Merit recognition. Please note, colleges adjust scholarship awards every year, so it is always important to verify any information with the college directly.

WHAT IS NATIONAL MERIT?

National Merit is the largest private scholarship corporation in the country. The first qualifier for earning National Merit recognition is earning the qualifying score on the junior-year PSAT/NMSQT. Qualifying scores vary from year to year and state to state. High scores can also be linked to other scholarship opportunities. Read our blog post The PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index Demystified to learn more about scoring.

 

NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP MYTHS

MYTH: ALL NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS ARE GUARANTEED HUGE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE COLLEGE OF THEIR CHOICE.

TRUTH: Students must select their top-choice schools from the schools that offer NM scholarships. And even then, they are competing with other NM scholars for those awards.

 

MYTH: THE ONLY WAY TO GET MERIT AID FROM IVIES AND ELITE COLLEGES IS THROUGH THE NM SCHOLARSHIP.

TRUTH: Most elite universities offer very little merit aid. If they offer merit aid, it is generally privately endowed, offered by the university (not NM), and competitive. There are ZERO ivy-league schools that offer NM scholarships.

 

MYTH: NM SCHOLARS DON’T NEED TO HAVE AN EXCELLENT SAT/ACT SCORE IN ORDER TO BE AWARDED SCHOLARSHIPS.

TRUTH: Many universities offer merit-based aid for SAT/ACT scores. And when compiling a financial package for students, universities will consider both a student’s NM Scholar status and their SAT/ACT scores to see what the best fit for the university and the family is. Need-based aid can also factor into how much NM scholarship money a student may be offered. It’s important for students to apply for multiple scholarships as NM aid is never a guarantee.

 

HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF EARNING NATIONAL MERIT?

  • Plan to do Summer and Fall Prep of some kind.
  • Take ALL the practice tests.
  • Take an official SAT in August, September, or October
  • Prep! (Choose from any combination of MTAT Courses, Boot Camps, Tutoring, Study Groups, or free online prep.)

NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP TIMELINE

FALL SOPHOMORE YEAR: Indicator PSAT

  • Scores of 200+ on Selection Index show potential for NM achievement. Score of 180+ shows potential for very high PSAT scores (1300/1400+).

SUMMER BEFORE JUNIOR YEAR: Prep begins

  • Students should plan for a minimum of 20-30 hours for a 100-point improvement.
  • Students should plan to take ALL of the College Board released practice PSAT and SAT tests.
  • Students should plan to take the official August SAT. Order QAS report for $12; it will show every missed question for review.

FALL JUNIOR YEAR: PSAT NMSQT Test administered in October

  • Students must continue ongoing prep.
  • Students will test in either mid- or late-October.
  • Scores are released in December (digital) and early January (paper).
  • Take the SAT (or ACT). Students should test in the fall and only retest in the spring if needed to increase admissions qualifiers or scholarships.

FALL SENIOR YEAR: PSAT Finalists/Semi-finalists announced

  • Students must complete the NM application, essay, and short answers and submit everything on time (the deadline changes each year). Official SAT/ACT scores must be submitted to NMSC by Dec 31st. “Comparable” score will be calculated using the selection-index score model, even for ACT (when converted to SAT using concordance).
  • Submit high school paperwork: endorsement and transcript.
  • Submit college coursework if applicable.
  • College Choice: students will need to select their top-choice school for NM consideration but may declare “undecided” and then notify the NMSC as soon as possible.
  • Sponsor College as First Choice: students should research schools with National Merit scholarships to ensure that they make a wise choice. These schools are often considered target or safety choices for a student.
  • College-sponsored NM awards are NOT transferable if a student later decides to transfer schools, so they need to feel confident in their choice.
  • All Finalists will be awarded the NM Finalist $2500 scholarship. Additional corporate-sponsored scholarships and stipends are awarded based on the NM finalist application.

 

WINTER SENIOR YEAR: NM Scholarships Awarded

  • February: students will be chosen as finalists and will receive a Certificate of Merit from their high school. Students should submit NM sponsor college as first choice college by March 1st in order to be considered for the first round of applicants.
  • March and May: scholarship winners notified.

 

SPONSOR COLLEGE AWARDS BASED ON REGION (subject to change!)

The following information is current as of January 2020. Colleges make changes to their National Merit Scholarships each year. Check the university webpage for the most up-to-date NM scholarship info!

TEXAS

ACU: National Achievement (full tuition), National Hispanic Recognition (up to $6000/yr), Semi-Finalists and Finalists guaranteed full tuition + $1500 stipend, Commended $2000

BAYLOR: Invitation to Excellence (competition for full tuition scholarships)

A&M: Finalist, must name A&M first choice ($42,000 + $1000 study abroad stipend + $3000 NMRA supplement for 5th year)

TEXAS TECH: Finalist, must name Tech as first choice for full tuition, fees, room/board, transportation and personal stipend

UTDALLAS: Automatic admission into Honors College, full tuition, $4000 semester cash stipend, $3000 NMSC scholarship, up to $6000 for study abroad, $1500 semester on-campus housing stipend

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON: Finalist, full tuition and required fees, one-time $1000 undergrad research stipend, one-time $2000 study abroad stipend; must select as first choice

OUT OF STATE

ALABAMA: Full tuition up to 5 years, four years of on-campus housing, $14,000 stipend, $2,000 allowance for research or study abroad, $1,000 technology enrichment allowance

BOSTON UNIVERSITY: Finalist first-choice, $80,000 (over 4 years)

BYU: Full tuition, limited availability

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY: Cost of attendance, regardless of residency

FLORIDA STATE: Cost of attendance ($80,000+), guaranteed admission to University Honors Program

FORDHAM: Full tuition with A/A- average and top 2-3% of admitted students, competitive

ILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY: Up to three scholarships up to $160,000; $16,000 otherwise

IOWA STATE: Full tuition for residents, varies for non-residents

LOYOLA: Full tuition for one student, $8,000 if not selected

NORTHEASTERN: Competitive merit-based award

OKLAHOMA STATE: Finalists who select OSU as their first choice, up to five-year full tuition waiver

OLE MISS: Full tuition + room ($54,776 for residents, $118,592 for non-residents)

OU: Semi-finalists with 3.5 GPA earn $4000/yr; Finalists who name OU as first choice gain $68,500

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA: $72,000 (full tuition plus) + $1,500 for study abroad for residents, varies for non-residents + $1,500 for study abroad depending on GPA and test scores

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS: Finalists, first choice, $40.000

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI: Full in-state tuition, guaranteed admission to honors program and $1,500 one-time allocation towards purchase of computer, research or study abroad. 60 available, first-come, first-served

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA: Finalist, cost of attendance (full ride)

UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO: Basic cost of attendance ($66,976 for residents, $137,520 for non-residents)

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS: $40,000 for residents

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY: Full in-state or out-of-state tuition and housing stipend

UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE: Full in-state tuition + $32,000 allowance for room, board and books or $80,000 for out-of-state students

UNIVERSITY OF MAINE: Full tuition and most fees

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI: Cost of attendance (for Florida residents only)

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: Up to $40,000

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA: Full tuition + $8,000

UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO: $75,212 for residents, $137,792 for non-residents + iPad

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA: Full tuition/fee waiver for ND and MN residents

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA: $40,000 for residents, up to $104,000 with tuition reduction for non-residents

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA: Full cost of attendance, guaranteed admittance to honors college and on-campus housing

UNIVERSITY OF TULSA: Full tuition and basic room and board

USC: Finalist, half tuition (limited)

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH: Cost of tuition/fees + room and board

WASHINGTON STATE: Finalist, full tuition

WHEATON COLLEGE: Finalist, merit-based coupled with need-based aid, $68,000-$72,000

Education and money relation concept. Isolated on white. High quality 3D render.

 

Congratulations Class of 2018!

Posted on by in Test Prep, ACT, SAT, PSAT.

Congratulations to the class of 2018!

In the last two years, More Than A Teacher worked with over 2,000 students from this year’s senior class.

We are so proud of each of them and excited to hear what they are going on to do next. A special congratulations and thank you to the graduates who shared their success stories and let us know about their plans!

Aaron R. – University of Texas Arlington, Scholarship Recipient
Abby S. – Tufts University
Alan J. – Austin College, $100,000 Scholarship
Alex S. – Texas A&M
Cheryl C. – Texas A&M, Visualization
Christopher L. – National Merit Scholar, University of Texas Dallas, Scholarship Recipient
Cole T. – Ole Miss
Cooper B. – University of AK, Honors School of Business
Corinne S. – Evergreen State College, Awarded Five Scholarships
David J. – Texas A&M, Biochemistry
Drew B. – Texas A&M, Computer Science
Ellie N. – National Merit Scholar, University of Texas at Austin
Emhely G. – St. Edward’s University, Biomedical Engineering
Grace D. – University of Texas at Austin
Isabel K. – San Diego State University
Jack M. – Texas Tech, Honors Program
Kai F. – Samford University
Kaylee K. – Texas A&M
Lauren H. – Presidential Scholar, George Washington University, Elliot School of Public Affairs
Libby M. – National Merit Scholar, University of Texas at Austin, Economics
Matthew Z. – Austin College
Nathan H. – Willamette University
Nisha K. – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Electrical Engineering
Rylan D. – University of Texas in Austin, Arts and Entertainment Technology
Sharika M. – University of Texas at Austin, Business and Plan II

Meredith S. – Texas A&M, Mays Business School

Corbin S.  – National Merit Scholar, Stanford

Tara W. – Commended Scholar, Trinity University

Joseph S. – University of Texas Dallas, Scholarship Recipient

Trenton N. – University of Texas Dallas, Computer Science

Alyssa R. – Chapman University, Honors Program, Provost Scholarship Recipient

Spencer S. – University of Chicago, Economics and Cancer Biology

 

Want to share your admission or scholarship story with us? Email info@morethanateacher.com.

 

20 Hours of Practice

Posted on by in SAT, PSAT.

photo credit: 57_365 by Alba Estevez G via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

The College Board is singing the praises of their partner, the Khan Academy. According to a recent article, 20 hours of practice on the Khan Academy website “is associated with an average score gain of 115 points, nearly double the average score gain compared to students who don’t use Khan Academy.”

 

The article notes that Khan Academy practice is personalized. This is true: students can link their Khan Academy account with their College Board account to get personalized practice questions based on their performance on previous tests. You can also practice specific content areas, “leveling up” as you improve. For example, if you choose to practice linear equations, you will start at Level 2, and if you get five questions in a row correct, you will advance to Level 3, and on up to Level 5.

 

The problem is that some of the questions are much too difficult—even on Level 3. While it’s true that any student who could master Level 5 will probably get a near-perfect score on the SAT, some students could end up wasting a lot of time agonizing over questions that would never show up on the real test. Another problem is that the SAT has more than five problems per section—and it’s timed! While Khan Academy is a good resource, if you want a more accurate picture of what to expect on test day, it makes more sense to take official SAT tests.

 

Each SAT is 3 hours (not counting the essay), so you’d need to do 7 of them to get in 20 hours of actual test taking—BUT there’s more to studying than just taking practice tests. In fact, far more important than taking tests is reviewing them—looking at every missed question and figuring out why you missed it. Every official practice test comes with answer explanations, so if you can’t figure it out, you can look it up. The more questions you miss, the more time it will take to review, so the number of test sections needed to fill up 20 hours will vary from student to student. There are eight official tests available for free on the College Board and Khan Academy websites, so regardless of how much time you spend reviewing, you can definitely get in your 20 hours.

 

While you should take at least one full practice test in one sitting, replicating actual test conditions as closely as possible, you don’t have to take a complete test every time you sit down to study. If you take one section a day for four days a week and review every question you miss, you could get in your 20 hours (or close) in about six weeks.

 

Again, you can do this all on your own for free. But if you would like a little guidance, we’re here to help! And even if you don’t live in Austin, we do Skype tutoring, so we’ve got you covered. Give us a call at 512-453-7272 to schedule a free consultation.

 

New SAT Practice Tests Available

Posted on by in SAT, PSAT.
Scantron-Optical-Scan-Exam-and-Pencil-by-Natalie-Freitas-via-Flickr-CC-BY-SA-2.0

Scantron-Optical-Scan-Exam-and-Pencil-by-Natalie-Freitas-via-Flickr-CC-BY-SA-2.0

Since the release of the Official SAT Study Guide for the revised SAT, there have been only four official practice tests available. That changed last week when Khan Academy published Tests #5 and #6 on their website. Update: The new tests are now available on the College Board website as well.

So if you’ve already exhausted the book and want some new material to work on before your fall SAT or PSAT, download these tests today!

PSAT scores vs. SAT scores

Posted on by in SAT, PSAT.

Complementary Creative Commons Casio Calculator by Boaz Arad via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

The new SAT debut is around the corner! On March 5th, the official test will be given for the first time. But it’ll seem awfully familiar to juniors who took the new PSAT/NMSQT in October. The SAT and PSAT/NMSQT are the two main tests in the “SAT Suite of Assessments”:

PSAT 8/9
PSAT 10
PSAT/NMSQT
SAT

Since the PSAT 10 and the PSAT/NMSQT are practically the same test, and since PSAT/NMSQT is a rather unwieldy acronym, the rest of this article will just use “PSAT” to refer to both the PSAT 10 and the PSAT/NMSQT.

The SAT and PSAT tests are very similar in content and structure. The main differences are:

1. The SAT is slightly longer: 3 hours compared to 2 hours and 45 minutes for the PSAT.
2. The SAT has an optional essay, which will bring the total test time to 3 hours and 50 minutes.
3. The SAT is supposed to be slightly more difficult than the PSAT.
4. The SAT is on a 400-1600 scale, whereas the PSAT is on a 320-1520 scale.

That last one is pretty confusing, especially considering statements like this from the College Board website:

The redesigned SAT Suite uses a common score scale, providing consistent feedback across assessments to help educators and students monitor growth across grades and to identify areas in need of improvement.

How can the SAT and PSAT use a common score scale when the highest score on the SAT is a 1600 but on the PSAT it’s only 1520?

The answer, according to a College Board packet is that the tests are “vertically equated.”

If that’s a good enough explanation for you, maybe you should work for the College Board!

Here’s a better explanation. According to that same packet, the score you get on the PSAT is the score you would likely have gotten had you taken the SAT on the same day. For example, if you got a perfect score of 1520 on the PSAT, you would probably have gotten a (less than perfect) score of 1520 had you instead taken the SAT because the SAT is a little bit harder.

The reason the College Board does it this way is a little easier to understand when you consider the first test in the “Suite of Assessments,” the PSAT 8/9. This test will be given to 8th graders. Even the smartest kid in 8th grade probably hasn’t learned much about radians, for example. That kid might get a perfect score on his PSAT 8/9, but if he took the SAT, he’d probably miss that one question about radians and get a lower score. If the PSAT 8/9 was on the same 1600 point scale as the SAT, that kid might get his score report and say, “Only 1440 out of 1600? But I’m the smartest kid in 8th grade!” (As it happens, 1440 is a perfect score on the PSAT 8/9.)

Presumably the verbal questions also get progressively more difficult as we move from PSAT 8/9 to PSAT to SAT. However, the College Board hasn’t released a PSAT 8/9 to the public. Comparing the one PSAT they have released to the four SATs in the Official SAT Study Guide, I can’t tell a whole lot of difference, but presumably the College Board has assigned difficulty levels to questions based on focus groups (test students). Those extra 80 points on the SAT come from the extra questions that were too difficult for the PSAT.

If you really want to, you can read all about the SAT Suite of Assessments vertical score scale here.

The PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index Demystified

Posted on by in PSAT.
Scantron-Optical-Scan-Exam-and-Pencil-by-Natalie-Freitas-via-Flickr-CC-BY-SA-2.0

Scantron-Optical-Scan-Exam-and-Pencil-by-Natalie-Freitas-via-Flickr-CC-BY-SA-2.0

 

With the October PSAT just around the corner, a lot of parents and students are asking, “What score do students need to get National Merit recognition and/or scholarships?”

Well, it’s a little complicated . . .

First of all, it’s impossible to know exactly what the cutoff is until after the scores are released because the top 3.33% of scorers are eligible for recognition, so the threshold score changes from year to year. Also, because the National Merit Scholarship Program recognizes the top students in every state, the threshold score varies from state to state.

In years past, students could get a pretty good idea what a qualifying score would be based on the previous year’s threshold score for their state. But this year there’s a new test scored on a new scale. Actually, there are two scales. (I said it was complicated.)

When they announced the new SAT and PSAT, the College Board claimed they would be simplifying things by putting them on the same 1600 point scale. But later, they dropped the PSAT top score down to 1520. They also added a separate selection index score on a scale of 8-38. To make matters worse, the Reading and Writing & Language scores are averaged for the overall score, but not for the selection index score. Simple, right?!

The big picture is a little easier to grasp if you start with the selection index scores. Each section (Math, Reading, and Writing & Language) is scored on a scale of 8-38. (Going from 0 to 30 makes more sense to me, but I wasn’t consulted.) Here are some hypothetical scores:

M: 28
R: 32
W&L: 30

The selection index is the sum of these scores multiplied by 2:

(28 + 32 + 30) x 2 = 180

The highest possible selection index score would be (38 + 38 + 38) x 2 = 228.

Okay, so much for the selection index score. What about the composite score?

The composite score can be calculated by first averaging the selection index scores of the two verbal sections and then multiplying the result by 20. The math Selection Index score is also multiplied by 20. These two scores are then added. For our hypothetical student, we get:

Verbal: [(32 + 30)/2] x 20 = 620
Math: 30 x 20 = 600
Composite: 1,220

The highest possible composite score is 1,520.

Note that the Math score counts for only one-third of the selection index, but one-half of the composite score. Or, in other words, each of the verbal sections counts for 25% of the composite score, but 33% of the selection index. Bottom line: if you’re competing for National Merit recognition, don’t neglect the Writing and Language section. It counts just as much as the other two, and it’s the easiest section to improve.

That’s all fine and good, you might be saying, but what score does a student need to shoot for to get National Merit recognition? What’s the magic number?

As stated above, no one–not even the College Board–knows at this point, but our (fairly conservative) anticipated threshold for National Merit recognition in Texas is 210.

So how many questions do you have to get right on each section to hit this target?

Reading: 42+
Writing & Language: 40+
Math: 39+

Of course, since all sections count equally, if you ace one of them, you’ll have a little more leeway on the other two. As stated above, students tend to get the biggest return on investment on the Writing & Language section since most of these questions test grammar rules that are fairly easy to master. Becoming a better reader or mathematician will require significantly more practice.

New PSAT Practice Test

Posted on by in PSAT, SAT.

Exciting news! The College Board has just released a new practice PSAT with answer explanations.

Just to be clear this is a PSAT, not an SAT. Juniors will take the PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) in October. But the content and difficulty level should be very similar to the new SAT. The Official Guide for these tests won’t be available until June, but there are plenty of resources for students who want to start studying now (see below).

There are four sections:

1. Reading: 60 minutes, 47 questions
2. Writing and Language: 35 minutes, 44 questions
3. Math (no calculator): 25 minutes, 17 questions
4. Math (calculator): 45 minutes, 31 questions

Here are my thoughts.

Reading:
Since they’ve scrapped the fill-in-the-blank vocabulary questions, this is really just a reading comprehension test. A couple of the passages have charts, but the questions about them are very easy—similar to the easiest questions on the ACT science section. Two of the passages are old: excerpts from Jane Austin’s Emma and a political piece by Andrew Carnegie. The rest are new: an article about social networking, a science passage about hibernating bears, and a paired passage about bringing back extinct species. My advice: read National Geographic.

Writing and Language:
If you want more study materials for this section, there’s already a book with 375 practice problems. It’s called the Official ACT Guide! That’s right: the new SAT Writing and Language section is almost exactly like the ACT English section. The only real difference is the inclusion of a single graph on one of the passages. Other than that, it’s the same old stuff: relevance, tone, subject-verb agreement, idioms, pronouns, possessives, comma splices, putting sentences in logical order. The questions are even worded similarly to those on the ACT. My advice: take every English section in the Official ACT Guide.

Math (no calculator):
Like I said about the sample questions released a few weeks ago, the math is significantly more challenging than what we’re used to seeing on the SAT and PSAT. These questions look like they came from a Math 1 Subject test—except on this section, you can’t use a calculator! I found myself reaching for my vintage TI-82 so frequently I had to put it in a drawer. I know a lot of students who use their calculators for even the most basic addition; for them, this section will pose a challenge.

Interestingly, the questions are not in order of difficulty. There are four grid-in questions, and both the grid and the instructions are exactly the same as on the current test. Frequent topics on this section are: setting up equations, systems of equations, functions, and quadratic equations—in other words, all the hardest stuff from the current SAT. My advice: take AP math classes.

Math (calculator):
While it was comforting to have the calculator at my fingertips, it was no help on questions like this:

If the equation 110x + y = 1,210 represents the number of free samples, y, that remain to be given away x days after a coffee shop’s promotion begins, what does it mean that (11, 0) is a solution to this equation?

Your calculator isn’t going to tell you that! Many of the problems include graphs, tables, scatterplots, and histograms. (Again, the Official ACT Guide would be helpful; the science section has similar charts and graphs.) There are also several challenging physics problems (e.g. finding the maximum height of an arrow shot into the sky). My advice: take AP physics.

Summary
Compared to the current SAT (and the PSAT that was retired in 2014), the math is more difficult. The reading and writing are, in my opinion, a little easier (mainly due to the lack of obscure vocabulary questions). But don’t panic about the math. Even though it’s harder, students will be scored relative to their peers. (In other words, if it’s harder for you, it’s harder for everyone.) Students who take challenging courses in high school and make good grades should be fairly well prepared. If you’re taking the PSAT in October and want to start studying now, my advice would be to get the Official ACT Guide and the SAT Math 1 and 2 Subject Test Guide (just do the Math 1 tests; Math 2 is very difficult and mainly geared toward students who plan to major in computer science, engineering, or similar fields.)

Note: The answers to the new practice PSAT are all on the last page of the Answer Explanations. (Really annoying!) So just scroll to the end when you’re ready to check your answers. There’s no way to score it yet (scaled scores are based on student performance, and no one has taken it), but you can find your percent correct for each section by dividing the number correct by the total number of questions. Basically, it works just like grades in high school: 90% and above is great; 80-90% is good, and so on.

More Than A Teacher is currently accepting students for one-on-one tutoring for the new PSAT and SAT. If you live outside the Austin area (or just want to avoid traffic), we offer remote tutoring via Skype. Just send us an email to set up an appointment!