The National PSAT Test Date Is Coming up: Here’s Everything You Need to Know
Updated October 2025
Everyone has questions about the PSAT, and I am here with answers for you.
What Is the PSAT? When and Why Do Students Take It?
Most high schools in the US offer the PSAT to juniors as part of the National Merit Scholar (NMS) search process. The NMSQT is scheduled at most US high schools for Friday, October 24th.
Some high schools also offer the PACT (common in the West and Mountain West). Finally, some schools offer the PSAT to sophomores and even freshmen for early practice. Neither the ninth and tenth grade PSATs nor any PACT is part of the NMS and neither is the national merit qualify test (NMSQT).
How Is the PSAT Scored?
Unlike the SAT, scored on a scale of 1600, the PSAT is scaled to a maximum score of 1520-- 760 verbal and 760 math. The test is very similar to the SAT but is slightly shorter in each section.
How Do I Find My PSAT Score after it is Scored?
Follow the link from College Board in your email or log onto College Board with the student’s email and password and then navigate to the PSAT page.
Do Colleges See My PSAT Scores?
All of these tests are intended to help students prepare for college entrance exams, and they have no effect on getting into college. Bottom line: Colleges don’t see these scores unless a test taker has chosen to share them. It’s the same with the SAT and ACT-- unless and until you choose to send your scores to colleges, they don’t see them.
If Colleges Don’t See My PSAT Scores, Why Am I Getting All This Mail?
Testing agencies sell lists of students who take the test, so you may end up with a full mailbox regardless of your score.
National Merit Scholars and the PSAT
What Is the National Merit Scholar Competition/Test (NMSQT) and How Does It Relate to the PSAT?
Junior year PSAT test takers are automatically considered for the National Merit Scholar competition, so the PSAT for juniors is officially known as the NMSQT/PSAT. Each scaled score is assigned to a national selection index score out of a maximum 228 points. Read more about how the NMSQT index score is calculated.
How Do I Become a National Merit Scholar, a Finalist, or a Semi-finalist?
To qualify as a semi-finalist, a student must score at or above the selection index for the state. It is a state-relevant index– students in certain states score on average higher than students in other states. Thus, approximately the top 1% of scorers in New Jersey will have a higher index score than the top 1% of scorers in, for example, New Mexico. For the Class of 2026, New Jersey, the District of Columbia and Massachusetts had the highest score cutoff in the country– 225.
If a test taker qualifies as a semi-finalist, there is then a finalist round that requires submission of an application via the high school (about 90% or higher of semifinalists become finalists). Read more about the selection process for becoming a National Merit Scholar Finalist.
Do I Win Scholarships for Being a National Merit Scholar?
Scholarships of $2,500 are awarded to NMS winners (approximately 50% of finalists). But the big money doesn’t come from the National Merit Scholar Foundation; rather, some colleges provide automatic or competitive (by selection) merit aid to winners that can be extremely generous, including full tuition and even some full ride scholarships.
See which colleges offer scholarships to National Merit Finalists
I Scored Below My State’s Cutoff. Will I Qualify for Commended Scholar?
Commended scholars are assessed on a national, not state, basis. The National Merit Scholarship Program provides this designation to the top 3% of PSAT takers nationally. The Commended Scholar cutoff for the class of 2026 is 210 (up from 208 last year).This is also a huge honor, and Commended scholars should be proud!
What if I Missed the PSAT-- Is There Any Other Way to Qualify for National Merit?
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation always offers the option to apply through an alternate method if a student has missed the PSAT because of illness or other extenuating circumstances. In that case, the student must write to National Merit no later than April 1 after the missed PSAT, and National Merit will then determine whether the student qualifies for alternate entry.
Does the PSAT Predict How Well I Will Do on the SAT?
It depends. The test gives you a snapshot of what you knew and how well you could demonstrate it on that particular day. If you studied quite a bit for the test and you didn’t have interfering issues-- anxiety, sickness, timing issues-- then the test could be predictive. If, however, you went in cold, it’s likely you can raise your score quite a bit with preparation.
What Is a “Good” PSAT Score?
A score doesn’t occur in a vacuum, and its value doesn’t either, so the definition of “good” depends on your goals. Remember that a PSAT score will usually translate to a SAT score about 60-80 points higher with no prep and often 100-200+ points higher with dedicated preparation.
PSAT Estimated Score Ranges:
1350+ Students who wish to attend the most highly selective schools, including schools like MIT, Stanford, and those in the Ivy League, will often score in the high 1300s or low 1400s on the PSAT.
1200s - Students who wish to attend selective schools with acceptance rates in the 30%-40% range will often score in the 1200s on the PSAT.
900s-1100s - Students who wish to attend somewhat selective schools with mid-range acceptance rates in the 50-80% range.
If I am a Junior Taking the PSAT, What Are Some Things I Should Do Right Now?
Set up a personal email account designated only for college communications. Use it to register for the PSAT, SAT, and for communications with colleges.
Use your scores to determine if and when you want to prepare for the SAT or ACT. Some students will perform better on the ACT than the SAT, so I always encourage a practice ACT as a comparison point before moving forward with either test.
Link your PSAT scores to Khan Academy and use the free resources there to focus on your areas that need improvement. www.KhanAcademy.org.
If you have questions about when to take the SAT, if you should take the ACT instead, or whether you should test at all, check out this blog post .
If you are taking the SAT soon, remember to review my SAT test-day checklist.