The New PSAT: What's Changing?

Next week, many students will take the new PSAT, modeled after the redesigned SAT, for the first time. For most of you, this will be a new testing experience and your first real look at the changes ahead. So, what can you expect?

Length

The new PSAT will be 35 minutes longer than the previous version of the test. Testing time will now total 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Sections

According to the practice materials released by the College Board, students will complete 4 sections in total: Reading, Writing & Language, Math - No Calculator, and Math - Calculator Permitted.

Here's the breakdown of timing vs. the number of questions for each section:

• Reading: 60 min., 47 questions
• Writing & Language: 35 min., 44 questions
• Math - No Calculator: 25 min., 17 questions
• Math - Calculator: 45 min., 31 questions

Changes to the Reading Questions

One notable change has many students excited ... the removal of the sentence completion (obscure vocabulary) questions! The only vocabulary questions you will see are "vocabulary-in-context" questions, in which you must determine how a certain word is being used within the context of a full reading passage. Most students find these questions to be much easier.

Obscure vocabulary questions are gone, but the new test has added some questions that require students to read charts and graphs. These may look intimidating at first, but the questions are actually very straightforward. Just make sure to pay attention to how the graphs are labeled!

The new test will also include pairs of evidence-based reading comprehension questions. From time to time, you may be asked to complete a follow-up question where you identify the line numbers that serve as evidence for your answer to the previous question. When you see these paired questions, it may be helpful to work backwards using the line numbers offered in the answer choices of the second question.

Changes to the Writing Questions

The writing section of the new PSAT looks exactly like the ACT's writing section. Instead of revising isolated sentences, students will now make improvements to sentences that are embedded within long passages. Many students like having that additional context to better understand the sentences they are revising.

If you've been studying grammar concepts for the current version of the SAT, you'll be happy to see that the grammar concepts being tested are pretty much the same.

Changes to the Math Questions

Math is getting harder! Luckily, timing is fairly generous for these sections.

The "no calculator" questions will resemble the types of questions featured on the current version of the SAT. (As many students have recognized, you don't really need a calculator to solve the math questions on the current SAT.) But it may feel tedious to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions and quadruple-digit numbers by hand, so brush up on your arithmetic skills!

The "calculator permitted" questions will cover more advanced concepts than what you've seen on previous tests, particularly in dealing with quadratic functions. However, you may have covered these topics more recently in your high school math classes, leaving them fresher in your mind. Definitely bring your graphing calculator on the day of the test, and make sure you're comfortable with using it!

Scoring

Goodbye, point penalties! The new PSAT and SAT will no longer deduct 0.25 points for each incorrect answer. This means you absolutely should put an answer for every question, even if it's a random guess. If you run out of time at the end of a section, pick your favorite letter and bubble it in for the remaining questions.

One change that's a bit confusing is the new scaled scoring system. Reading and Writing will now be combined as a single subject score, while Math will continue to be calculated as its own subject score. On the new SAT, this means you can score up to 800 in Reading & Writing and 800 in Math, for a total of 1600.

The PSAT, in an attempt to more accurately predict your SAT performance (taking into account the PSAT's shorter length), will lower the maximum scores that you can receive. Your final score will range from 320-1520 in total, meaning you can score up to 760 per section.

How to Prepare

The College Board has released one full-length practice PSAT with full answer explanations, which you can download by clicking here.

It's also a good idea to check out the first few lessons on Method Test Prep, under the "New SAT" course. The topics and practice questions covered there will look very similar to the new PSAT questions.

Note: if you are a junior who has been studying for the current version of the SAT this fall, don't get too distracted or discouraged if the new PSAT feels very different to you. Instead, think of it as a sneak peek at the new SAT and just another opportunity to practice your test-taking skills. Right now, it's more important to focus on getting ready to perform your best on the current SAT before the test changes in the spring.

Happy studying!

Erin, Director of Student Services