Wed PSAT vs Oct 1 SAT?

Schokolade
Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:27:00 +0000

My daughter took the SAT in October 2009 as preparation for the 2009 PSAT. Her scores were 2080 on the SAT and 228 on the PSAT. She was a 2011 National Merit Scholar. She subsequently raised her SAT score significantly.

My son took the SAT in October 2011 as preparation for the 2011 PSAT. We will see in December how this strategy worked for him!

I think that the frequently-quoted advice to add a “0” to the end of the PSAT scores to get an estimate of future SAT scores doesn’t work in reverse. Look at it this way: A student scoring 2080, in the 96th percentile of SAT test-takers in October, is compared to all SAT test-takers, including seniors. The same student who scores 228, in the 99th percentile of PSAT test-takers, is compared only to first-semester juniors. Also, the essay component that is present on the SAT but not the PSAT can skew the results, and the fact that the PSAT is shorter than the SAT can have an effect as well. I would love to hear other comments and analysis, as I’m quite curious about the likelihood that my son will also be a NMSF!

Careydscl, my son left one math question (the last grid-in) on the PSAT blank but completed all the math on the SAT. Don’t count your chickens, but your SAT scores were impressive and yes, I think your goal is quite reasonable!