You Got Your PSAT Scores Back, Now What?

Now that PSAT scores are out, some of you may be wondering, “what was the point?” Colleges aren’t going to look at your PSAT scores, so why did you take it? Well, the PSAT is actually quite an important test for a number of reasons. Now that you’ve got your scores back, there are several things you should be doing.

1. Learn about the National Merit Scholarship
The PSAT is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship – it’s a big deal, so if you don’t know what it is, find out! Basically, the National Merit Scholarship is a $2,500 scholarship awarded to 2,500 students each year. Not only is it a great monetary reward, but the scholarship is also very prestigious. At this point, there isn’t much to do; Basically, all you have to do is wait for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation to release your cut scores to find out whether or not you have a shot at the scholarship. If you’re a sophomore, then you have time to prepare for next year, when you take the PSAT for real.

2. SAT Score Prediction
The PSAT is a good predictor of performance on the SAT. Both tests cover nearly identical material and have nearly identical formats (except the PSAT is shorter and doesn’t have an essay). Multiplying a PSAT score by 10 will give an approximate SAT score. Now that you’ve got your PSAT scores back, it’s a good time to look at your strengths and weaknesses and decide what type and how much SAT preparation is needed to reach your target score. Fortunately, if you didn’t do so well, it doesn’t really matter! What matters is that you have time to prepare for the SAT, which does matter (and a lot).

3. Start the preparation
Continuing from the previous point, preparation is key to performing well on the SAT. The PSAT was originally designed to be a practice SAT and a predictor of performance in reality. Use your PSAT scores to help determine how to prepare for the SAT. Full face-to-face courses can help students who need a lot of help; private tutoring focused on specific topics can help those who only need help in certain areas; and solution manuals and practice guides may be preferable to those who prefer to practice on their own.

4. Look for other scholarships
Depending on your score, some of you can be pretty sure you’ll at least be a National Merit Semi-Finalist. If so, then it’s a good idea to start looking at other types of scholarships as well – being a National Merit Semifinalist or Finalist will open many doors for you. For example, at Texas A&M University, National Merit Finalists can receive a scholarship that covers their entire tuition for all four years! According to their website, this scholarship could even get closer to $100,000 for out-of-state students due to the out-of-state tuition waiver. Be sure to check out the schools you want to apply to for potential scholarships!

5. Examine trends in universities
According to the Almanac of Higher Education, the five universities with the highest number of National Merit Scholars in the entering class of 2013 were Harvard, Northwestern, The University of Texas at Austin, Yale, and the University of Southern California. Although colleges don’t ask for PSAT scores as part of the admission review process, having an excellent PSAT score can definitely help your chances of getting into a top-rated school.