Hey guys,
So I got a 188 on my sophomore PSAT with a 61 in critical reading, 62 in math, and 65 in writing skills. This was without any studying whatsoever which was my philosophy going into to see what I should work on for Junior year. How realistic is it to improve this score up to a 225? I am willing to put a lot into it and I’m just not sure what the typical improvement rate is on these tests.
Thanks!
~ Nathan
With practice you can get it up there. Look at the SAT/ACT prep subforum and look for Silverturtle’s and Xiggi’s study methods.
@nathanspang
Check out Table 1 in this College Board research paper: https://research.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/publications/2012/7/researchnote-2010-41-score-change-2007-psat.pdf. That table shows the distribution of increases and decreases between Sophomore and Junior PSAT scores. Taken individually, the proportion of students showing increases like those you require (you’ll need to average a 75 for each section) are:
CR: 61 to 75 (+14 points) . 3% of students.
M: 62 to 75 (+13 points). 5% of students.
W: 65 to 75 (+10 points). 7% of students.
If these chances were not correlated, the total probability of the increase (188 to 225) would be the product of these individual changes: 3% x 5% x 7% = 0.01% (i.e., 1 in 10,000 people). However, the changes are correlated, so if you show large increases in one score, you’ll more than likely increase in all of them.
I assume you will be trying for NM? It will take some work, and your qualifying test will be different since you are a junior next year and that’s the start of the new PSAT. But you can probably do it if you study hard. Look for info on the new PSAT/SAT. Good luck!