Summary of Answers & Skills
Your students' performance on every PSAT/NMSQT test question and skill
The Summary of Answers and Skills (SOAS) report allows you to take a closer, detailed look at your students' academic skills by providing a snapshot of student performance on each PSAT/NMSQT test question. Presented online, the report may be downloaded and easily shared with administrators and faculty at your school beginning in January.
SOAS data
For each grade level that had at least 10 test-takers, you will get a SOAS with:
- Overall performance data: Information about participation, scores, and the percentage of students who are on track to be college-ready
- Skill analysis: Insight into students' performance on the skills measured by each section of the PSAT/NMSQT, giving a complete picture of relative strengths and weaknesses
- Question analysis: Information about performance on each question, helping educators pinpoint specific problems their students had when they took the test
- Comparable group analysis: Comparisons that help schools identify skill areas where their students performed below what would be expected for their score profile
Using the SOAS to improve students' skills
- Compare scores: Compare how your students performed against comparable, national, and state groups on identical test items, identifying those skill areas in need of attention.
- Additional activities: Link classroom activities with the skills the PSAT/NMSQT measures: critical reading, math problem solving, and writing skills (and focus on the weak skills that need improvement).
- Promote discussion: Foster discussion among your school's faculty to implement additional means to develop students' skills and improve their performance before they retake the PSAT/NMSQT or take the SAT®.
Accessing the SOAS
To access the SOAS you'll need to log into the College Board Reports page. When prompted, enter the SOAS access code that is printed in the upper-right corner of the Roster of Student Scores and Plans you'll receive in score report shipments in December.
SOAS resources
The following resources will help you analyze student performance with the SOAS. You will need to log into College Board Reports.
- PSAT/NMSQT Test Question Details listing the correct answer, level of difficulty, question type, and the academic skill tested for each test item.
- PSAT/NMSQT Questions, Answers, and Answer Explanations
- SOAS Tutorial
- PSAT/NMSQT List of Academic Skills
- State alignment reports
- Sample SOAS reports for low, medium, and high performing schools