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Homepage Home > Data, Reports & Research > PSAT/NMSQT® Data & Reports > Archived College-Bound Juniors & Sophomores Reports > 2009

College-Bound Juniors & Sophomores 2009

PSAT/NMSQT 2009 State Summary Reports

In the fall of 2009, students took the PSAT/NMSQT to help determine their level of readiness for college. The PSAT/NMSQT 2009 State Summary Reports summarize the characteristics, scores, and educational plans of the Class of 2011 and Class of 2012. Refer to your School (or System) Summary Reports to compare your local data with the national- and state-level data on these reports:

Highlights of 2009 Junior Data

  • 1,545,856 juniors took the PSAT/NMSQT.
  • 53.3% of juniors who took the PSAT/NMSQT were female; 46.7% were male.
  • Of those indicating racial/ethnic background, 42.2% of juniors indicated a category other than "white," an increase from 40.6% in 2008.
  • Junior average scores for 2009 (with comparison to 2008 data):
    • Critical Reading: 46.9 (0.2 increase)
    • Math: 48.2 (0.6 decrease)
    • Writing Skills: 45.8 (no change)
  • College majors of interest to the Class of 2011 include: health professions and sciences, 20.6%; visual and performing arts, 9.3%; business management, 8.3%; engineering, 8.6%; biological sciences, 4.6%; education, 4.5%; and psychology, 4.3%. The strongest interest among males was engineering (15.9%); females' most frequently indicated interest was health professions and sciences (27.7%). 11.5% were undecided about a college major.

Highlights of 2009 Sophomore Data

  • 1,517,231 sophomores took the PSAT/NMSQT.
  • 51.8% of sophomores who took the PSAT/NMSQT were female; 48.2% were male.
  • Of those noting racial/ethnic background, 50.5% of sophomores indicated a category other than "white," an increase from 50% in 2008.
  • Sophomore average scores for 2009 (with comparison to 2008 data):
    • Critical Reading: 42 (0.4 increase)
    • Math: 43.3 (0.7 decrease)
    • Writing Skills: 41 (no change)
  • College majors of interest to the Class of 2011 include: health professions and sciences, 19%; visual and performing arts, 10.5%; engineering, 8.4%; business management, 6.6%; biological sciences, 4.6%; security and protective services. 3.7%; and education, 3.5%. The strongest interest among males was engineering (15.7%); females' most frequently indicated interest was health professions and sciences (26.5%). About 13.7% were undecided about a college major.

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