For K–12 Administrators
PSAT/NMSQT: Opening the door to college
The Preliminary SAT®/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) measures the critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills your students need for success in college. While the test is excellent preparation for the SAT, it also offers your students the opportunity to learn about their academic strengths and weakness, scholarship opportunities, college and career planning information, and more.
Why the PSAT/NMSQT?
The PSAT/NMSQT is more than just a test. It gives students:
- Suggestions on how to improve academically. The PSAT/NMSQT score report gives students personalized feedback on their test performance.
- Preparation for the SAT
- Opportunities to earn scholarships and academic recognition
- For more information, go to Scholarship and Recognition Programs
- Information from colleges and universities through Student Search Service
- A free personalized online college planning kit based on their test results
- For more information, go to My College QuickStart and MyRoad
It provides multiple reports to help schools learn from their students' performance:
- Summary Reports: For your junior and sophomore classes, Summary Reports show the number of test-takers and the mean test scores, with standard deviations, for the local group, the state, and the nation. They also provide group distributions for critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills scores; ethnic background; college major; and more.
- Summary of Answers and Skills (SOAS): This free online report gives an analysis of how your students did as a group on every PSAT/NMSQT test question, providing educators the opportunity to identify specific areas where their students are having difficulty. The SOAS also provides some aggregate skills feedback based on student performance on the PSAT/NMSQT.
- AP Potential: This free online tool uses correlations between PSAT/NMSQT scores and AP Exam results to find additional students who may be successful in specific AP courses. This tool is designed to supplement, not replace, a school's current identification processes.
- Student Data File: This electronic file, provided on a CD, includes each student's scores, percentiles, answers to each test question, performance on skills, college major of interest, and more. These data can help identify common strengths and needs in student performance at the classroom level. (Optional report: $50)