During the 1950s, the College Board wanted to create a test that would prepare high school underclassmen and juniors for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). In 1959, the College Board administered the first PSAT examination.
Since the objective of the PSAT is to prepare for the SAT, when students receive their score reports, they also get their test booklets, answers and correct answers. The College Board recommends looking through them in order to understand mistakes made and identify weak areas.
The PSAT features math, critical reading and writing questions. Most math questions deal with arithmetic, algebra and geometry, and there are problem solving questions as well as equations. Although most critical reading questions test reading comprehension skills, there are a few sentence completions, which test vocabulary skills. All writing questions test grammar, usage and mechanics. Each section is worth a minimum of 20 points and a maximum of 80 points, and PSAT scores can be as low as 60 or as high as 240.
Another objective of the PSAT is to qualify students for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Although any high school student can take the PSAT, only those who take it as juniors are eligible for National Merit.
To qualify as a National Merit Semifinalist, students must score in the top 1 percent within their state. Qualifying scores vary from state to state and can be as high as 224 or as low as 205. Those who score in the top 5 percent nationwide receive National Merit letters of commendation. National Merit also recognizes high-scoring African-American juniors through the National Achievement Scholarship Program. Blacks who place in the top 1 percent in their state become semifinalists, while those in the top 5 percent nationwide receive National Achievement letters of commendation. Students must submit essays, letters of recommendation and transcripts to become finalists.
Since the PSAT is nearly identical to the SAT, SAT preparation materials and classes can be used to prepare for it. Companies such as Powerscore, The Princeton Review and Kaplan offer SAT/PSAT preparation classes. Most bookstores sell preparation books. Although the College Board sells preparation materials, it maintains that taking rigorous academic courses is the best preparation.
Most students take the PSAT without preparing or even familiarizing themselves with it. Others take it during their freshman or sophomore years in high school--two or more years before taking the SAT. The College Board acknowledges that one third of test takers notice a significant difference between their PSAT and SAT scores.