PSAT 8/9: Preliminary SAT for 8th and 9th Grader

The PSAT 8/9 is offered by College Board to eighth graders and high school freshmen. The test is administered between the fall and the spring. There is no fixed dates like SAT for PSAT 8/9. Schools chose the test dates separately. For example in 2018-19, your school may offer the PSAT 8/9 between September 24th 2018 and March 29th 2019 or between April 1st and 26th 2019. Students of Class 8/9 need to consult the school counselor to appear for the PSAT8/9 which is a test for your career readiness.

The PSAT8/9 measures two things

The best way to prepare PSAT8/9 is to:

• Take challenging courses
• Do your homework
• Prepare for tests and quizzes
• Ask and answer lots of questions

PSAT 8/9 Test Pattern

The PSAT 8/9 has three sections

Reading Test

In PSAT 8/9 Reading Test students read passages and interpret informational graphics. Then you’ll use what you’ve read to answer questions. The Reading Test measures three things: 1. Command of Evidence, 2. Words in Context and 3. Analysis in History/Social Studies and in Science

• All Reading Test questions are multiple choice type and based on passages.
• Some passages are paired with other passages.
• Informational graphics, such as tables, graphs, and charts, accompany some passages—but no math is required.
• Prior topic-specific knowledge is never tested.

The Reading Test is part of the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section.

Writing and Language Test

In PSAT 8/9 Writing and Language Test you do three things 1. Read, 2. Find Mistakes and Weaknesses and 3. Fix Them. Questions in Writing and Language Test measures following skills: 1. Command of Evidence, 2. Words in Context, 3. Analysis in History/Social Studies and in Science, 4. Expression of Ideas, 5. Standard English Conventions

• All questions are multiple choice and based on passages.
• Some passages are accompanied by informational graphics, such as tables, graphs, and charts—but no math is required.
• Prior topic knowledge is never tested.
• The Writing and Language Test is part of the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section.

Math Test

The PSAT 8/9 Math Test measures the problem solving and modelling that you will need to do in
College math, science, and social science courses

• The jobs that you hold
• Your personal life
• The Math Test will focus in depth on two of the areas of math
• Heart of Algebra
• Problem Solving and Data Analysis

The PSAT 8/9 Math Test measures three things: 1. Fluency, 2. Conceptual Understanding and 3. Applications
Most math questions will be multiple choice, but some—called grid-ins—ask you to come up with the answer rather than select the answer.

The Math Test is divided into two portions: Math Test–Calculator and Math Test–No Calculator.
Some parts of the test include several questions about a single scenario.

PSAT 8/9 Test 2018-19 Dates

The PSAT 8/9 is administered worldwide by Educational Testing Services (ETS). The US administration dates may differ from International administration dates. See here PSAT 8/9 Test 2018-19 Schedule Dates

PSAT 8/9 Score Report

PSAT 8/9 Score Report is presented on a Scale of Range 240 – 1440. Following given section wise details

Total score
Details: Sum of the two sections
Score Range: 240-1400

Section scores (2)
Details: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Math.
score Range: 120 - 720

Test scores (3)
Details: Reading, Writing and Language, and Math.
score Range: 6–36

Cross-test scores (2)
Details: Analysis in History/Social Studies and Analysis in Science. Based on selected questions in the Reading, Writing and Language, and Math Tests.
score Range: 6–36

Subscores (6)
Details: Reading and Writing and Language: Command of Evidence and Words in Context. Writing and Language: Expression of Ideas and Standard English Conventions. Math: Heart of Algebra, and Problem Solving and Data Analysis.
score Range: 1–15

The College Board sends PSAT 8/9 scores to:

• Schools
•  Districts (in many cases)
•  States (in many cases)

Some schools also mail a copy of the paper score report directly to parents.