Are these PSAT scores good? (please be honest)

[iskim86]

I just got my PSAT scores in the mail, and these are the results.....

Verbal score 49, Math Score 62, Writing Skills score 49

I scored higher than 52% of juniors in verbal, 87% in math, and 52% in writing skills.

my expected SAT score is 450~550 for Verbal, 570~670 for math, and 460~590 in Writing skills.

for verbal section, I answered 23 questions incorrectly and lost 6 points. on the math section, I answered 3 questions incorrectly and lost 1 point. in the writing skills section, I answered 18 incorrectly and lost 4 points.

My percentile for the whole thing to the junior class is 68.

please be honest, I wanna know how I compare with others, and what you got and how I'm gonna do in the future. thanks.

 

[Mill]

You want honesty and I will give it to you. That is fairly decent math score but the writing and verbal score are pretty low.

If that was the actual SAT you would have scored 1110 which is not bad, but not exactly a great score. You asked for honesty and I gave it to you. I wish there was a way to sugarcoat it but there isn't.

 

[crawford]

I heard youre supposed to get like 100 points higher on the SATs than you would have gotten of the PSAT. I got a 1070 on the SAT and its not great but its cool with me, got me into the college I want to go to. (Arizona State University)

 

[iskim86]

oh btw, I ran out of time on the verbal section so I marked the last 8 problems D. so I shouldn't do that kinda stuff on the real one? what's an average PSAT score for the verbal sections?

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: iskim86
oh btw, I ran out of time on the verbal section so I marked the last 8 problems D. so I shouldn't do that kinda stuff on the real one? what's an average PSAT score for the verbal sections?

You are penalized for guessing on the SAT. If you don't know the answer it is better to leave it blank. As for average verbal score I am not sure. It might be better to talk to your HS counselor about that.

 

[Zebo]

I donno I took the ACT and got a 17, so they sent me to the local CC first

 

[hans007]

basically the supposed expected score is verbal * 10 + math *10.

so on the SATs you'd get something like a 1110 which is well fairly average for the "i am going to college" type.


the writing skills is supposed to be like SAT2 writing, so thats like a 490 which is pretty bad.


um , i got a 148 the first 2 parts and a 63 on the PSAT. i just walked into it and had been misled into thinking it was merely a practice test (there went the scholarship). if you score 210 or above generally you'll be in national merit scholar stuff, (210 being the 3 scores added up). you probably need at least 220 to be a finalist.


i bought one of those study books before the real SATs and scored about 100 more . i'd say the psat was harder , just in general.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: hans007
basically the supposed expected score is verbal * 10 + math *10.

so on the SATs you'd get something like a 1110 which is well fairly average for the "i am going to college" type.


the writing skills is supposed to be like SAT2 writing, so thats like a 490 which is pretty bad.


um , i got a 148 the first 2 parts and a 63 on the PSAT. i just walked into it and had been misled into thinking it was merely a practice test (there went the scholarship). if you score 210 or above generally you'll be in national merit scholar stuff, (210 being the 3 scores added up). you probably need at least 220 to be a finalist.


i bought one of those study books before the real SATs and scored about 100 more . i'd say the psat was harder , just in general.

The cutoff varies from year to year but 210 for Semi and 220 for Finalist would be about right.

I believe I missed the cutoff for Semi by 1 or 2 points.

Edit- I want to say the cutoff for the year I took it was 213 or 214... but I can't remember.

 

[Deleted member 4644]

I think I got a total of 211.... thats considered pretty good.

Your scores arent great... but they arent super bad either. I suggest that you take a prep class. The can actually help quite a bit.

 

[psianime]

I got 1000 on my SATs and got into college. Good enough, thats what I say before I cry myself to sleep every night.

-psianime

 

[iskim86]

awww crap I thought I did better than a lot of people. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 

[SOSTrooper]

Originally posted by: iskim86
awww crap I thought I did better than a lot of people. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR

naw I probably have the lowest SAT score here

 

[Larvae]

those scores might be an aberration; you might have jsut had a bad day. but just to make sure you might want to check if you hand is bigger than your face

 

[podingX]

aim for at least 215 to get national merit finalist and a possible shot at $$$

 

[Ryan]

I'll give you honest - the PSAT doesn't mean squat.

 

[DeafeningSilence]

Originally posted by: iskim86
awww crap I thought I did better than a lot of people. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR

You did... based on the information you already gave us:

I scored higher than 52% of juniors in verbal, 87% in math, and 52% in writing skills.

So what's your question? Those numbers tell you exactly how you compare to other people your age.

And you hurt yourself by filling in D's for those last questions. If you have no idea what the answer is... leave it blank.

 

[tweakmm]

Originally posted by: rbloedow
I'll give you honest - the PSAT doesn't mean squat.

funny, I always remembered that a lot of scholorships ask for your PSAT scores

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: rbloedow
I'll give you honest - the PSAT doesn't mean squat.

Umm... it is the qualifier for National Merit Scholarships... so yes it does mean squat.

 

[Ryan]

I've gotten a full ride through college and have never been asked for a psat score from the many scholarships I recieved. In fact, there was never an area to put a PSAT score on their applications. The only thing that really mattered was my ACT score.

 

[aswedc]

It depends on what kind of college you're looking to get into - that score on the SAT probably isn't going to get you into any of the top 50 or so schools nationally without significant improvement, but for the average college raise it to around 1200 and you should be fine. Also keep in mind your GPA is becoming more important with schools these days, it doesn't matter what your SAT score is if you don't have the GPA to match, and a mediocre SAT score can be offset by a good GPA.

 

[flot]

You already have the results... you scored higher than 52% of juniors in the english category.

Now you need to stop and think about that number. That means you are basically smarter than half of the juniors in the country. You are also dumber than half the juniors in the country.

Now step back and think about that some more. Think about how many dumbasses, morons, and general retards there are in your 11th grade class. Now imagine how many there must be in the country. It's astounding.
You did better than most of those people.

However, think about how many overachievers, nerds, AP class taking, socially inept brainiacs are in your class. You did worse than most of those people.

Basically you are walking the fine line right between total dumbass and talented overachiever. This is not where you want to be. Your math score is very good - you want to be solidly within the "smart people" group, which that represents. Your verbal score needs at least another 10-15% tacked on to it -- take a prep course, buy some books, etc! It's worth it!!

Shoot for 75% and above.

 

[iskim86]

what I heard is, generally if you suck at SAT you're gonna be better at ACT. is this true? and I'm getting an A in physics class (aced all quizzes, got 98% for all my tests). is this an indication that my ACT scores will be good? thanx

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: iskim86
what I heard is, generally if you suck at SAT you're gonna be better at ACT. is this true? and I'm getting an A in physics class (aced all quizzes, got 98% for all my tests). is this an indication that my ACT scores will be good? thanx

No this is not true.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: rbloedow
I've gotten a full ride through college and have never been asked for a psat score from the many scholarships I recieved. In fact, there was never an area to put a PSAT score on their applications. The only thing that really mattered was my ACT score.

You live in the South. The SAT is more widely accepted on the East Coast and in other areas so the SAT really doesn't mean much down here, but in other areas the SAT matters. Since PSAT is practice for the SAT it does mean something to those who have to take the SAT. Secondly, National Merit is very important thus you are wrong in your belief that the PSAT means squat.

 

[reitz]

Those scores are fine, unless you're planning to attend a top-tier state school, or a hugely competetive private school. Most colleges understand that SAT and ACT scores are poor predicters for college performance; your high school GPA is much more important.

My girlfriend scored an 890 (recentered) on the SAT, even lower on the PSAT. She graduated at the top of her class (out of 100 or so students in the department) for undergrad, and just completed her MA in Industrial and Labor Relations in May with a 4.0. This July, she'll be starting on her doctorate. Standardized test scores, especially the PSAT, don't really mean all that much.