Take the test and student answers will be calculated by computer, which will produce their individual raw score. How the PSAT is scored comes from the amount of points students receive for each correct answer totaled on their test. For example, not considering difficulty, each correct answer will merit one point towards that student's point total. Incorrect answers, on the multiple-choice segments, will reduce the potential total score by ¼ of a point. Finally, the student-produced response questions, or grid-in questions, receive no deduction in regards to any question that results in an incorrect or lack of response.
Look at the scoring and keep in mind that after all aforementioned aspects are tallied; the initial raw score is translated into a number specific to how the PSAT is scored, which is on a scale from 20 to 80. This is a procedure involving a deliberate statistical formula, known as equating. Equating puts the scores from two or more tests on the same measurement scale so they can be compared. The PSAT scoring will adjust for the degree of difficulty that exists in relation to the various forms and editions of the test. Equating also provides for comparisons between students who have taken a different form of the test, and allows for scores from years prior to be compared to more recent tests.
Consider your individual student scores with the variable range. In addition to providing a quantifiable number, how the PSAT is scored also provides, on individual student scores, the measurement for each tested area and a variable range of a few points above or below. These scores are designed to suggest how the student, with repeated testing, might improve the results of the test.