The PSAT/NMSQT is a two-hour, 14-minute digital exam with 98 total questions split across two sections: Reading and Writing (54 questions in 64 minutes) and Math (44 questions in 70 minutes). It’s taken by high school juniors as the qualifying test for National Merit Scholarships, and by sophomores and younger students for practice. The content closely mirrors the SAT, covering the same skill areas at a similar difficulty level.
Reading and Writing Section
The Reading and Writing section gives you 54 questions and 64 minutes to answer them. Each question is paired with a short passage, sometimes just a paragraph, rather than the long multi-paragraph readings older versions of the test used. Some questions also include a table, bar graph, or line graph alongside the text.
Questions fall into four content areas:
- Craft and Structure: These test vocabulary in context, asking you to choose the word that best fits a sentence’s meaning. You’ll also analyze the purpose or structure of a passage and draw connections between two topically related texts.
- Information and Ideas: These measure reading comprehension. You’ll identify central ideas, interpret data from charts or graphs presented with a passage, and draw inferences from what you’ve read.
- Standard English Conventions: These are grammar and punctuation questions. You’ll edit sentences to fix issues with sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, pronoun usage, punctuation, and similar mechanics.
- Expression of Ideas: These ask you to revise sentences to improve clarity, coherence, or effectiveness. A question might ask you to choose the best transition between ideas or to pick the sentence that most logically completes a paragraph.
The passages come from a range of subjects, including literature, history, social studies, and science. You don’t need specialized knowledge in any of these fields. Every answer is supported by what’s written in the passage or shown in the accompanying data.
Math Section
The Math section has 44 questions and a 70-minute time limit. Most questions are multiple choice, but some require you to type in your own answer (called “student-produced response” questions). A built-in Desmos graphing calculator is available on screen for every math question, and a reference sheet with common geometry formulas appears automatically.
The questions span four content areas:
- Algebra: Linear equations and inequalities in one or two variables, linear functions, and systems of two linear equations. This is the most foundational category and focuses on skills like solving for x, interpreting slope, and working with inequalities.
- Advanced Math: Nonlinear equations and functions, including quadratics, polynomials, exponentials, and rational expressions. You’ll need to manipulate equivalent expressions, solve equations with exponents or squared terms, and interpret the behavior of nonlinear graphs.
- Problem-Solving and Data Analysis: Ratios, rates, percentages, proportions, and statistics. Questions might ask you to calculate a unit rate, interpret a scatterplot, find the mean or median of a data set, work with probability, or evaluate whether a statistical claim is supported by a study’s design.
- Geometry and Trigonometry: Area, volume, angle relationships, properties of triangles, circle equations and theorems, and basic trigonometry (sine, cosine, tangent). The reference sheet covers key formulas, but you still need to know when and how to apply them.
The math content corresponds roughly to what’s covered through Algebra II, with some geometry and introductory trigonometry mixed in. You won’t see calculus or advanced statistics.
How the Digital Format Works
The PSAT is taken on a laptop or tablet through the College Board’s Bluebook application. Each section is divided into two shorter modules, and the difficulty of the second module adjusts based on how you performed on the first. This adaptive design means two students sitting next to each other may see different questions in their second module.
Bluebook includes several built-in tools. You can mark questions for review and come back to them using a question menu that shows which items you’ve skipped or flagged. A testing timer counts down the remaining minutes in each module, and you can hide it until the five-minute warning if you prefer not to watch the clock. For Reading and Writing passages, a highlighting tool lets you mark text and leave notes, and a line reader helps you focus on one line at a time. An option eliminator lets you cross out answer choices you’ve ruled out, similar to physically crossing off answers on a paper test. You can also zoom in on any part of the screen.
Scoring and the National Merit Selection Index
Each section (Reading and Writing, Math) is scored on a scale of 160 to 760, giving a total score range of 320 to 1520. This is slightly lower than the SAT’s 400-to-1600 range.
For juniors, the PSAT score also generates a National Merit Selection Index, which determines eligibility for National Merit Scholarship recognition. The Selection Index is calculated by doubling your Reading and Writing section score, adding your Math section score, and dividing by ten. For example, if you scored 700 on Reading and Writing and 680 on Math, your Selection Index would be (700 × 2 + 680) ÷ 10 = 208. The cutoff for Semifinalist status varies by state and typically falls somewhere between 207 and 225.
What to Expect on Test Day
You’ll need a charged laptop or tablet with Bluebook installed, a valid photo ID (school IDs are accepted), and your admission ticket. The College Board recommends bringing a charger as a backup, though most devices hold enough battery for the full testing time. Personal calculators are allowed as a backup, but the on-screen Desmos calculator is available throughout the entire math section.
The test is administered at your school during the school day, typically in October. Unlike the SAT, you don’t register for a testing center. Your school’s PSAT coordinator handles scheduling and will let you know the specific date.