The Preliminary SAT offers a practice drill for the real SAT taken during the junior or senior year in high school. Although many students choose to prepare for the PSAT and SAT, no study is required because both test cognitive knowledge gained through previous years of education. The College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation use the PSAT for scholarship eligibility and career planning.
PSAT scores range from 20 to 80 on each section of the test, which includes reading comprehension, mathematics and writing. The maximum total score possible is a 240. An average score on each section hovers around 49, depending on the complexity of the version. A percentile score appears with the raw score to inform the test-taker how they performed relative to their peers who took the same version.
A score of 80 on any section means you scored the maximum possible. This does not mean you should forgo any preparation for the real SAT if you had planned on it, because the PSAT is somewhat easier. An aggregate score of 80 for all three sections indicates a rather poor performance on the test, but it's not cause for panic. Colleges do not take into account PSAT scores when making decisions on college admissions.
If you scored high on the PSAT then you should also do fine on the actual SAT exam. A low score should not cause much anxiety, for the PSAT score suggests areas where the student needs improvement. The PSAT can be taken several years before the SAT, so students have a chance to improve until they take the real thing. There are plenty of books on SAT strategy and even entire classes dedicated to the test.
A high PSAT score can qualify a student for scholarship opportunities. The top 50,000 scorers from each PSAT exam are asked to name their top two college choices. Then, 16,000 of these top students move on to the semifinals, selected for an even distribution of semifinalists across the United States. Semifinalists must meet high academic and leadership standards to move on to the finals and receive a National Merit Scholarship.