You got your PSAT score. Now what?

My son just got his PSAT (Preliminary SAT) score, along with legions of his fellow high school juniors who took the test on a Saturday in October, as usual at a miserably early hour by teen standards.

This is not the score you send to colleges — that's the actual SAT, of course — so I gazed at the elaborate score report sheet wondering what the point was.

I fished around the College Board website and found lots of bits information — but not really a clear answer to my question. So I asked an expert. East Bay college admissions advisor Kate Augus, who runs Get Going College Admissions Workshops along with our frequent information source Joanne Levy-Prewitt, helpfully wrote up an explanation for me.

The question is: What does the PSAT mean? How much will this matter to colleges, whether the scores are stellar or not? What do the levels mean, and what's the timetable for whatever happens next?

Answer: The PSAT mirrors the SAT in most ways. The vocabulary is about as hard, though the math only goes through Geometry (whereas there is Algebra 2 on the SAT), and the SAT has an essay in the Writing section. Here is what the PSAT can serve as:

• A Predictive Tool: One can basically add a zero to each of the three sections of the junior year PSAT to predict the future SAT score. Scores on the PSAT range from 20 – 80.
  
• A Diagnostic Tool: The big print out that College Board sends can give the student a sense of what he/she needs to work on — e.g. stamina (did she consistently run out of time?), algebra or another specific section (are those the questions most often missed?), student-generated answers (this can be tricky for many students), sentence completions, etc. Diagnosis is best, of course, when it is clear where the problem lies (when the student misses a lot of questions in one section but not in others). Diagnosis can help guide a student in choosing what type of test prep to pursue: Families can review the 10th-grade score reports looking for red flags (i.e. lots of questions omitted at the ends of sections, etc.), look at other standardized testing, and review grades and teachers' comments for analysis.
  
• A Stress Relieving Tool: The more times students sit down for a long standardized test in “test-taking conditions,” the more opportunity they have to become confident test takers. Many counselors view the sophomore PSAT, and even the junior year PSAT, as a “no risk” practice opportunity. So, even though PSAT scores will not be used for college admission, it is still a good idea to take the PSAT. The more times you take standardized tests, the more familiar you will become with the format and the types of questions asked. So if your goal is a National Merit Scholarship, prepare for the PSAT. If you’re not aiming that high, still familiarize yourself with the PSAT so that you know what to expect and so that the test is a successful learning experience.
  
• A College Junk Mail Attracting Tool: Colleges use the personal data and scores to begin sending out guidebooks to prospective students. If you wish to receive free information from colleges, indicate on the PSAT test answer form that you want to participate in the Student Search.
  
• A National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) Tool: Junior year PSAT scores may qualify a student for the National Merit Scholarship Competition, the National Achievement Scholarship Program/National Scholarship Service (for African-American students), the Telluride Association Scholarship (to study the humanities), and the National Hispanic Scholars/Recognition Program. If junior year scores add up to a certain number (called the Selection Index, which varies state by state and year by year – California’s is usually between 213 – 218), the student becomes eligible for the various National Merit Scholarship Programs.

Some students score just below the level required of Semifinalists; these students become Commended Scholars. Although Commended students do not continue in the competition for Merit Scholarship awards, some of these students do become candidates for special scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses (see below for more information). When there is NOT an asterisk next to the Selection Index on the score report, the student is potentially in the range for consideration. An asterisk means the score won't be in range. The national average Selection Index is 147.

Typically sophomore scores have the asterisk because they aren't considered for NM. The lack of asterisk is not a guarantee; it just means the score is potentially in range.

The state cutoffs are never released en masse by College Board. but each state's cutoff is shared with that state's counselors in mid-September, after the results are in. NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) counselors have revolted by sharing states' scores with one another through the NACAC listserve. Sometimes California's score is as high as 219, but it usually hovers at 217.

In April of junior year, about 50,000 high scorers are invited to name two colleges or universities to receive their PSAT scores (many counselors would advise listing a student’s most competitive colleges for this purpose — check with your school counselor to make a final decision).

In late September of senior year, about 34,000 students receive Letters of Commendation (Commended Students) which are sent to their high schools. Approximately 16,000 students are notified that they have qualified as Semifinalists, the highest scoring entrants in each state. Next, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation provides scholarship application materials to Semifinalists through their high schools. To be considered for a scholarship, Semifinalists must become Finalists. Semifinalists complete an application which includes: transcripts, an essay, a recommendation, and SAT scores that confirm the PSAT/NMSQT performance. In February, some 15,000 Semifinalists become Finalists. Half of all finalists win scholarships. For more details, check the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website.

To be clear, high PSAT scores alone won't snag that National Merit Scholarship; grades are assessed too. Thanks to Kate for the clarification!