<p>Hey! I got a 192 on my PSAT the first time i took it (didn’t study). Answered every question and I got
74-critical reading
61-Math
57-writing</p>
<p>Missed three questions on reading because i didn’t know some of the vocab
Missed questions on math because i didn’t read correctly.
Missed questions on writing because i missed them.</p>
<p>If i want to get 230+, when should i start studying and how much and how? I was going to start over summer or after my AP bio exam.</p>
<p>Why do you want to get a 230+? Is that around where the NMSF cutoff is in your state?</p>
<p>Im in nevada (2nd best education in the US if you start at the bottom :D) so its prolly more like 220s 210s, I dunno, why not?</p>
<p>Haha well I’m in PA and it’s average-ish for education. Our cutoff’s in the lower 210s so I’d guess nevada could be in the 200 neighborhood.
Go for 230 if it’ll make you feel happy but once you pass your state’s cutoff there’s no reason that I’m aware of to need to go higher…except being more prepared for the SAT I guess 
Anyway, get books. I think there are a few psat-specific books, but SAT ones should work fine. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/538932-what-sat-prep-book-should-i-get-ultimate-answer-thread-sat-book-reviews.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/538932-what-sat-prep-book-should-i-get-ultimate-answer-thread-sat-book-reviews.html</a>
Personally, I study whenever I have the time and want to be productive. This works nicely if you start months ahead of time and don’t hate studying lol. You’ll be able to tell how much you need to do yourself (i.e. once you get almost all practice writing questions right, you’re done studying writing).</p>
<p>I didn’t look at any prep material and didn’t take a single practice test and jumped from 210 to 230 from Soph -> Junior. </p>
<p>As long as you think you should easily be able to make the NMSF cutoff for your state, you shouldn’t stress yourself out too much about the PSAT.</p>