A Step to the Future Preparing Students for the 2006 PSAT/NMSQT This material was produced solely by...

A Step to the Future

Preparing Students for the 2006PSAT/NMSQT

This material was produced solely by the College Board for its organizational purposes; National Merit Scholarship Corporation was not involved in its production.

2 A Step to the Future: Preparing Students for the PSAT/NMSQT

What is the PSAT/NMSQT®?

• PSAT/NMSQT® stands for Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test

• The PSAT was first administered in 1959; it became the PSAT/NMSQT in 1971 when National Merit Scholarship Corporation began to co-sponsor the test.

• The PSAT/NMSQT has kept pace with all the changes to the SAT ® over the years, and even preceding the SAT when it added the multiple-choice Writing Skills section in 1997, though the PSAT/NMSQT does not include an official essay like the SAT does.

• In 2005, over 3.1 million students took the PSAT/NMSQT: 47% were eleventh graders, 53% were tenth graders or younger students.


Benefits of taking the PSAT/NMSQTThe test provides:

• the best preparation for the SAT Reasoning Test™.

• the entry point to compete for National Merit Scholarships (usually in 11th grade) including the National Achievement Program. It also provides recognition via the National Hispanic Recognition Program.

• the option to receive information from colleges and scholarship services through the secure, strictly monitored Student Search Service®

• personalized feedback on critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills, including suggestions for improvement.


Benefits of taking the PSAT/NMSQTAdditionally, when students receive their Score Reports,

all high school test-takers will receive a supplemental, online report that will provide:• easy access to all test questions with their correct answers and

full explanations (reminder – students should review their testbook also, to see any scratch work done on test day);

• insights into how students’ academic skills compare to their college-bound peers, via state percentiles (national percentiles will be on your official paper Score Report);

• Personalized online SAT study plan that will provide additional practice questions and suggestions for further practice based upon their PSAT/NMSQT results;

• access to MyRoad™, a dynamic Web-based career, major, and college exploration tool (access until graduation)

What skills are tested on the PSAT/NMSQT?


What does the PSAT/NMSQT actually test?

• Like the SAT, the test assesses the academic skills that students develop over the years, primarily through their academic course work.

• It measures critical reading, math reasoning and writing skills that are critical for success in college.


What does the PSAT/NMSQT actually test?• Critical reading skills—using content from: humanities, social studies, natural sciences, and literature.

• Math reasoning skills—using content from: number and operations; algebra and functions; geometry and measurement; data analysis, statistics, and probability.

• Writing skills—focus on editing, grammar, usage, and organization.


PSAT/NMSQTCritical Reading Questions

• 13 Sentence Completions

• 35 Passage-Based Reading Questions (100- to 800-word passages)


PSAT/NMSQTMathematics Questions

• 28 Multiple-Choice Questions

• 10 Student-Produced Response Questions(”Grid-ins”)


PSAT/NMSQTWriting Skills Questions

• 20 Improving Sentences Questions

• 14 Identifying Sentence Error Questions

• 5 Improving Paragraph Questions


How does the PSAT/NMSQT compare to the SAT?

• Same question types, except the SAT includes an essay assignment that does not appear on the PSAT/NMSQT.

• The PSAT/NMSQT is 2 hours, 10 minutes; the SAT is 3 hours, 45 minutes.

• The SAT will have some math questions from third-year math courses; PSAT/NMSQT will not. (Samples of third-year math questions are available in the online SAT study plan, available when Score Reports are distributed to schools.)

Sample PSAT/NMSQT Questions


Critical Reading SectionSentence Completions

Roger said the report was significant; Heather contradicted him, saying that all the information presented was ------- .

(A) contemporary

(B) scintillating

(C) objective

(D) irrevocable

(E) immaterial


Critical Reading SectionSentence Completions

Roger said the report was significant; Heather contradicted him, saying that all the information presented was ------- .

(A) contemporary

(B) scintillating

(C) objective

(D) irrevocable

(E) immaterial

Because Heather is contradicting Roger, the correct response is the word that is most nearly the opposite of "significant.“ Choice (E) is correct. "Immaterial" means inconsequential or irrelevant. Information that is immaterial is by definition not significant.


Critical Reading SectionPassage-Based Reading

• Excerpt from reading passage:

After I left the room, I began to sift my impressions. Only the day before, an acquaintance had warned me to watch carefully for sleight-of-hand tricks, especially as the man had earlier been a stage conjuror.



The “acquaintance” mentioned in line 2 can best be described as a

(A) skeptic

(B) hypocrite

(C) hoaxer

(D) confidant

(E) mystic



The “acquaintance” mentioned in line 2 can best be described as a

(A) skeptic

(B) hypocrite

(C) hoaxer

(D) confidant

(E) mystic

The acquaintance mentioned in line 2 warns the author to "watch carefully for sleight-of-hand tricks." Choice (A) is correct. In warning the author to watch out for tricks, the acquaintance is showing that he is skeptical about the telepathist's supposed powers.


Math SectionMultiple Choice

If ax + bx = 36, what is the value of x when a + b = 12?

(A) 3

(B) 6

(C) 12

(D) 24

(E) 48


Math SectionMultiple Choice

If ax + bx = 36, what is the value of x when a + b = 12?

(A) 3

(B) 6

(C) 12

(D) 24

(E) 48

The expression ax + bx is equivalent to (a + b) x, so the equation ax + bx = 36 is equivalent to (a + b) x = 36. When a + b = 12, the equation becomes 12x = 36, which can be solved to get x = 3.


• If — + — = — ,

what is the value of h?

h 1 5h4 3 6

Math SectionStudent-Produced Response


If — + — = — ,

what is the value of h?

h 1 5h4 3 6

Math SectionStudent-Produced Response

4 / 7

• Multiply each member of the equation by 12 (the common denominator) to get 3h + 4 = 10h• Subtract 3h from both sides to get 7h = 4• Divide by 7• h = 4/7.


Math SectionKnow the Student-Produced Response Directions• Read and

understand the directions in the PSAT/NMSQT Official Student Guide ahead of time.

• IMPORTANT: The correct answer must be gridded correctly to receive credit. What is written in the boxes cannot be scored.


Math SectionStudent-Produced Response Practice Grids


Math SectionCalculators are encouraged

• A scientific or graphing calculator is recommended.

• Bring a familiar calculator, for test day is not the time to figure out how to use a new calculator.


A few barges still move oil up to Hartford, but in the old days they had more traffic then.

(A) but in the old days they had more traffic then

(B) but in the old days traffic was heavier

(C) but in the old days they had a lot more

(D) whereas the traffic was a lot more in the old days

(E) whereas then there was more traffic in the old days

Writing SectionImproving Sentences

(Note: In this question type, the first choice always repeats the underlined phrase exactly, thus would mean “no change”.)


A few barges still move oil up to Hartford, but in the old days they had more traffic then.

(A) but in the old days they had more traffic then

(B) but in the old days traffic was heavier

(C) but in the old days they had a lot more

(D) whereas the traffic was a lot more in the old days

(E) whereas then there was more traffic in the old days

Writing SectionIdentifying Sentence Errors

Choice (B) is correct. It avoids the errors of the original by eliminating both the unnecessary adverb, "then," and the vague pronoun, "they."


The electronic computer is a technological triumph that scientists

have developed, mastered, and then put it to constantly

increasing use. No error.


A B C

D E


The electronic computer is a technological triumph that scientists

have developed, mastered, and then put it to constantly

increasing use. No error.


A B C

D E

The error in this sentence occurs at (B), where an unnecessary pronoun is used. The object of the verb "have . . . put" (like the object of the verbs "have developed" and "have . . . mastered") is the relative pronoun "that," which refers to "technological triumph." The pronoun "it" is therefore unnecessarily inserted after "put."


Writing SectionImproving Paragraphs(1) The last century was a time of great technological progress. (2) Life is more

convenient, comfortable, and efficient today than ever before. (3) Yet this has created new concerns.

Which of the following versions of sentence 3 (reproduced below) is most effective?

Yet this has created new concerns.

(A) Although this has created new concerns.

(B) Yet this progress has created new concerns.

(C) Yet these have created new concerns.

(D) Yet this has created new concerns to worry about.

(E) New concerns have been created.


Writing SectionImproving Paragraphs(1) The last century was a time of great technological progress. (2) Life is more convenient, comfortable, and efficient today than ever before. (3) Yet this has created new concerns.

Which of the following versions of sentence 3 (reproduced below) is most effective?

Yet this has created new concerns.

(A) Although this has created new concerns.

(B) Yet this progress has created new concerns.

(C) Yet these have created new concerns.

(D) Yet this has created new concerns to worry about.

(E) New concerns have been created.

Choice (B) is correct. The vague pronoun "this" is replaced by "this progress," which clearly refers to the progress mentioned in sentence 1.


Writing SectionPractice for the SAT Essay

A practice SAT essay assignment will be printed on the PSAT/NMSQT Student Score Report. In your online SAT study plan, you will be able to see sample papers written for that essay assignment and learn about how the SAT essay will be scored.

Scoring thePSAT/NMSQT


How is the PSAT/NMSQT scored?

• Multiple-choice questions: 1 point for each correct; 1/4 point deducted for each incorrect

• Math grid-ins: 1 point for each correct; 0 points for each incorrect (nothing deducted)

• 0 points for omitted questions (nothing added, nothing deducted)


How is the PSAT/NMSQT scored?

• Scores are reported on a scale of 20–80 for each section: critical reading, math, and writing skills.

• For eleventh graders, 47–50 is about average; for tenth graders, 43–46 is about average; for ninth graders, average is about 38-42 .


How does a PSAT/NMSQT score compare to an SAT score?

• Some students add a “0” to the two-digit PSAT/NMSQT score to give a rough estimate of a three-digit SAT score.

• A more reliable SAT projected score range will be included in your online SAT study plan.

• SAT writing score = approximately 1/3 essay scaled score + 2/3 multiple-choice score.

• Students who have taken the PSAT/NMSQT average higher scores on the SAT than those who have not.


Personalized Skills Information

• Lists those skills that have the best chance of improvement with additional work.

• Includes advice, written by teachers, on how to improve those skills.

The PSAT/NMSQT Score Report contains information to help students improve their academic skills.

Getting ready

to take the PSAT/NMSQTLong-term and short-term preparation


Long-Term Test PreparationDeveloping Skills

Students should READ:

• improve vocabulary and develop essential skills through continuous reading

• read more books than just those required for class


Long-Term Test PreparationDeveloping Skills (continued)

• Students should:

• exercise, develop, and strengthen critical thinking, higher-order reasoning, and problem-solving abilities by taking the most challenging courses that they can


Short-term Test Preparation

• Students should:• Take the full-length Practice Test in the Official

Student Guide and get comfortable with the test format. Take time to score it, to better understand the scoring process.

• Visit www.collegeboard.com/psat for additional practice test questions

• Sign up to receive the SAT Question of the Day at www.collegeboard.com (free)

• Understand “formula scoring” and “educated guessing”

• Become familiar with the types of test questions, the test directions, and test format


Test-Readiness Strategies

When students sit down to take the test, they should:

• Read all the directions

• Read all the answer choices

• Do scratch work in the test book

• Work steadily

• If students skip a question, they should be sure to note it in the test book, and leave it blank on the answer sheet; then return to it if there is time.

• Remember: students don’t have to answer every question to score well


Be sure to take the Practice Test in the 2006 Official Student Guide


Test-readiness Strategies

• In most sections, the questions are arranged from easy to more difficult (except for passage-based reading in critical reading section and improving paragraphs in writing skills section)

• Wild guessing is discouraged, but students should make educated guesses when answer choices can be eliminated.


Wild Guessing


Educated Guessing


Answer Key


To learn more…visit www.collegeboard.com


To learn more…visit www.collegeboard.comCreate your free online account to access all the college planning resources and tools available to students.


Take the PSAT/NMSQT• How to sign up: ____________________________________

(Be sure to pick up the Official Student Guide with Practice Test.)

• Test Day/Date: ____________________________________

• Time: ____________________________________________

• Where: ___________________________________________

• Bring: Two #2 Pencils

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Social Security Number (optional)

E-mail Address (optional, but encouraged)

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