PSAT test scores help students boost their chances in university admissions
The Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSAT) is a standardized external assessment that takes place every year in October. It gives students a chance to gain experience to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), the college entrance exam that most American universities use, in conjunction with other criteria, to make university admission decisions.
PSAT tests are given in English and assess how well a student can analyze and solve problems in language and mathematics. It tests important critical thinking skills students need to be successful in college. Students who take the PSAT can compare their performance with that of their peers worldwide. The PSAT is obligatory for all students in Grades 10 and 11.
Thirty-three students in Grade 11 and 47 in Grade 10 took the PSAT in 2019. Twenty-four percent of students in Grade 11 scored in the 90th percentile and above. Eight-point-five percent of students in Grade 10 scored in the 90th percentile and above. Worldwide, 1,708,914 students in Grade 11 took the PSAT, and in Grade 10, 1,834,887.Students did not take the PSAT in 2018.
Lucca F. Conforto earned the highest score of Grade 11 students scoring in the 99th percentile.
Yuraj Sato earned the highest score of Grade 10 students scoring in the 95th percentile.
The College Board National Recognition Programs
Starting in fall 2019, if a student in Grade 11 takes the PSAT and identifies as African American, Hispanic American or Latinx, Indigenous, attends school in a rural area, or is from a small town, he or she may be invited to apply for academic recognition as part of the College Board National Recognition Programs (CBRP).
The College Board National Recognition Programs are academic honors that can be included on college applications. They are not scholarships, but colleges and universities use them to identify academically exceptional students.
In 2019, three students in Grade 11 scored in the top 2.5% on the PSAT and were awarded academic honors under the CBRP. As a result, they received invitations to participate in the program.