psat scores – now what? mariana paredes the princeton review saint bonaventure high school january...
TRANSCRIPT
PSAT Scores – Now What?
Mariana Paredes The Princeton Review
Saint Bonaventure High School January 22nd 2009
Page 2
What is the PSAT?
The PSAT serves two roles.
• National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test• A competition for both recognition and scholarship• Commended scholar versus semi-finalist
Page 3
What is the PSAT?
The PSAT serves two roles.
• Practice for the SAT• The PSAT is written by the makers of the SAT• A window to the testing soul
Page 4
What’s on the PSAT?
What does the PSAT measure?
• They say:• Critical reading skills
• Extracting information from dense passages and filling in missing bits from sentences
• Math skills• Algebra 1, basic geometry and arithmetic
• Writing skills• Grammar
Page 5
What’s on the PSAT?
What does the PSAT measure?
• The Princeton Review says:• Accuracy over speed
• Performance under time constraints
• Bubble skill, not accumulated knowledge
Page 6
The PSAT vs. the SAT
How does the SAT compare to the PSAT?
• The SAT is:• More mathematically advanced• Different in regards to the writing section, containing
an essay• Considerably longer
Page 7
How’s it scored?
• Your raw score is determined as follows:• Each correct response: 1 point• Each blank response: 0 points• Each incorrect response:
• On a multiple choice question: -¼ point• On a student-produced response: 0 points
• This raw score is then scaled and converted into a score between 20 and 80 for each of the three sections – math, critical reading and writing skills
Page 8
So what’s this?
Page 9
It’s a diagnostic report
Your Score Report Gives You:
• Your scores
• The average scores for juniors are:• 48 in critical reading• 49 in math• 49 in writing skills
Page 10
• The average scores for sophomores are:• 45 in verbal
• 46 in math
• 46 in writing skills
Page 11
It’s a diagnostic report
Your Score Report Gives You:
• A selection index- used for National Merit
• Ranges• An estimation of the point spread you would be
expected to fall between should you take retake the test
Page 12
It’s a diagnostic report
Your Score Report Gives You:
• Percentiles• Percentiles help you compare your performance on
the PSAT to the performance of similar students. • They tell you which percentage of students you’ve
scored above.• If you’re a junior, you’re compared to other juniors• If you are a non-junior, you are compared to other non-
juniors.
Page 13
It’s a diagnostic report
Your Score Report Gives You:
• An estimated SAT score• SAT scores range from 200 to 800 per section. • A 52 is roughly to a 520 on the SAT.
Page 14
It’s a diagnostic report
Your Score Report Gives You:
• The ability to review your test• The score report displays the correct answer, your
answer, and the level of difficulty for each question• The score report also provides you with a computer-
analyzed diagnosis of patterns of mistakes
Page 15
So what do you do?
• Did I answer all of the easy questions?• Personal Order of Difficulty
Page 16
So what do you do?
• Did I run out of time?
• Using your time effectively
• The Princeton Review 67% rule
Page 17
Your Resources
• The Princeton Review Online• The Best 361• Counselor-O-Matic• Career Quiz• College Applications
• www.princetonreview.com
Page 18
Your Resources
• College Board Quickstart• www.collegeboard.com• Access code• Parent section for
scholarships and loans• Student section with
college planning and selection tools
Page 19
Your Resources
• National Merit
• www.nationalmerit.org
• Detailed scholarship information
Page 20
Your Resources
• Bob Hahn • [email protected]• (805) 648-6836 x 122
• Natalie Lajoie• [email protected]• (805) 648-6836 x 127
• Mariana Paredes • [email protected]• (805) 685-2221• www.princetonreview.com