* Purpose: The PSAT is primarily a practice test for the SAT, often used to qualify for National Merit Scholarships. The SAT is used for college admissions.
* Content: While the content overlaps significantly (reading, writing and language, and math), the PSAT is generally considered slightly easier and shorter than the SAT. The PSAT also sometimes includes questions on different topics, though the recent iterations have brought it closer to the SAT.
* Scoring: This is the most significant difference.
* SAT: The SAT is scored out of 1600 (800 for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and 800 for Math). Individual section scores are also reported. There's no penalty for guessing.
* PSAT: The PSAT scoring is more complex. It uses a different scale and doesn't have a simple single total score like the SAT. Instead, it provides:
* Selection Index: This is a number used primarily for National Merit Scholarship qualification. It's a sum based on the scaled scores, not a direct reflection of raw question correctness.
* Section Scores: Similar to the SAT, you receive scores for Reading, Writing and Language, and Math sections. These scores are not directly comparable to SAT section scores numerically, but the percentile rank gives a better understanding of your relative performance.
* Percentile Ranks: These are crucial for PSAT interpretation. They show how your score compares to other test-takers. A percentile rank of 75 means you scored higher than 75% of those who took the test.
In short: The PSAT provides a scaled score and percentile rank to gauge your performance relative to others and inform your SAT preparation, while the SAT provides a total score out of 1600 used for college applications. You can't directly compare a PSAT score to an SAT score numerically, but the percentile ranks offer a comparative view of performance.