[VIDEO ANSWER] How predictive is a student’s PSAT score?

Test Prep Authority – Office Hours #1 – Question: “How predictive is a student’s PSAT score of what they will score on the SAT?”

How predictive is a student’s PSAT score of what they will score on the SAT? This is a very big question, and one thing to know is that, not really that predictive ultimately, but very predictive of where you are now. And what I mean by that is that, when I took the PSAT, for instance, I got a god-awful score. I did horribly. And the reason was because I was not prepared for the SAT at all. I rolled out of bed, I think I was 10 minutes late, they let me in. I had no idea what I was doing. I’d never seen the question types before, and I had something like a 50th percentile score, I didn’t do very well. Then I got prepared, I did some pretty intense tutoring and prep on my own, and I ended up getting a 99th percentile score on the SAT.

So, the biggest thing to know about predictive qualities for the PSAT is that it doesn’t show you where you’re going to be, it’s not destiny. But you have to prep between your PSAT and your SAT if you want to improve and get somewhere else. So, if you take the PSAT and it predicts that you’re going to a 1700, then you’re probably going to get a 1700 on the SAT. That’s about where you stand.

However, of course, that doesn’t mean you’re a 1700 student. The biggest thing I always try to tell people is that this test is not an intelligence test. Its not really how good you are at math, or reading, or writing, or grammar, or anything. It’s just how good you are at taking the SAT and applying SAT-type problems to this test on their time frame. So, anyone can improve with practice. And if you get a PSAT score that’s not where you want to be, start practicing as soon as possible. And just know the PSAT is a great bench line or benchmark for where you currently stand.