What to Know about 2024 PSAT Scores and How to Use Them

​Now in its second year as a digital test, the College Board’s PSAT was taken by high school juniors and sophomores across the country during October 2024, with schools allowed to schedule their test date any time during the month.

2024 PSAT Scores Are Out Now

Regardless of when a student took the PSAT in October, their score should now be available. Students who tested by October 11 received scores on October 24, those done by October 26 received scores on November 7, and those done by October 31 received their scores on November 14.
 
College Board encourages students to use the BigFuture mobile app to check scores and probably asked for the student’s mobile phone number on test day to use as the login, but we recommend getting a student’s PSAT score report from the student’s College Board account. The student’s counselor at school should also have access to the score report if you can’t get it these other ways.

How Do PSAT Scores Relate to a Future SAT Score?

The digital PSAT is the exact same as the SAT in terms of the number of questions and the time for each section, but the score scale for the SAT is higher, reflecting an increased difficulty of question types that students might encounter.
 
Each PSAT section (Reading/Writing and Math) has a score range from 160-720. For the SAT, the range for each is from 200-800. We see a lot of confusion on how they relate, so it’s important to understand that a 720 on the PSAT is meant to be the equivalent of a 720 on the SAT, not an 800. The gap between the 720 and 800 is answering correctly several questions of a higher difficulty level on each section. Students should anticipate that raising their score higher on the SAT will take real work even if they are already performing at a high level on the PSAT, especially since the new digital test has fewer questions, which amplifies the points lost for each mistake.

What Won’t PSAT Scores Be Used For?

Regardless of the student’s PSAT score, know that it has no effect on the student’s ability to get into college. Colleges will never see the scores from these tests. The College Board offers the PSAT to sophomores and juniors to familiarize them with the SAT test format and content and to encourage students to provide their information to receive outreach from interested colleges, a service which provides an important revenue stream for College Board.

What Should You Do with Your PSAT Score

Now that a student has tried the PSAT, they should try a practice ACT as well to compare the results and determine which test will be a better option as a college admissions test or if the student should consider going test-optional based on their PSAT/ACT scores and the schools on their college list.
 
Students with a very high PSAT score will also be eligible for consideration for a National Merit Scholarship, as well as other scholarships offered by the scholarship programs that use PSAT scores for determining eligibility in conjunction with the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Competition.

What Are the Chances of Being a National Merit Finalist?

The chances of being a National Merit Finalist are very slim, with just 15,000 finalists nationwide out of the estimated 1.3 million students in the class of 2025 who took the PSAT in October 2023. Sophomores who score well on the PSAT are not eligible for consideration in that year’s scholarship program.
 
From the original pool of testers nationwide, 50,000 high scoring participants were notified in September 2024 that they were either Commended Students (34,000 testers) or Semifinalists (16,000 testers). To make it from the pool of semifinalists to being named a finalist, a student must complete a detailed application, write an essay, get recommendations, and take an SAT or ACT that affirms the score received on the PSAT.
 
In February 2025, semifinalists who have met all the academic and other requirements will be notified they are a finalist. From this pool of 15,000 finalists, 6,870 scholarship winners will be announced in March 2025, including the $2500 National Merit scholarships and those from participating corporate and college sponsors. In the end, those receiving monetary awards are just one-half of one percent of the juniors who take the test nationwide. This same calendar will unfold next year for the members of the Class of 2026 who just took the PSAT in October 2024.
 
How does a student make it into the one percent of top testers? A lot depends on the state in which they reside. To ensure a fair representation from across the country, each state is allocated a certain number of semifinalists based on the state’s percentage of the total high school seniors graduating that year. Semifinalists are chosen from students who met or exceeded the Selection Index Score for their state this year, which will be announced in the spring of 2025. Often smaller states with more competitive student pools will have a higher Selection Index score. You calculate a Selection Index score by doubling the Reading/Writing score, adding the Math score, and then dividing that total amount by 10. A typical SIS for Maryland is in the 221-223 range.
 
Given the high score needed to be considered for the program, we do not generally recommend students prep for the PSAT unless they are already testing in the top 2-3% of testers. For Maryland juniors testing in October 2023, only 296 made it to the semifinalist stage. Maryland’s Selection Index Score of 222 was one of the highest nationwide, with just two states having a higher selection score, meaning that Maryland students have to score higher just to be considered versus peers in most other states.

Juniors: PSAT Score Kickstarts Preparation for 2025 SAT or ACT Test Dates

Juniors who have not completed their college admissions testing should use their PSAT score report as the starting gun for their 2025 college admissions testing planning and prep. The ACT has national test dates upcoming in February, April, June, July, and September, and the SAT will have tests in March, May, June, and August that students in the Class of 2026 can utilize for their applications. Students who complete a practice ACT now and compare it with their PSAT will be ready to prepare for any of these tests in the new year.
 
Schedule an upcoming ACT diagnostic test and then contact us to discuss your test prep needs.

Sophomores: Plan for Fall 2025 Testing Now

Sophomores should plan to try the ACT sometime between March-June and also should try a second, full scale SAT practice test to see how the results compare to their PSAT. Members of the Class of 2027 should plan to begin their test prep for a fall 2025 test sometime in the summer if possible so they can complete their admissions testing in the first semester of junior year, freeing them up to spend the rest of the year focused on their academics and extracurriculars.
 
Have questions about your PSAT score report or how to get started with college admissions test preparation? Contact us to schedule a free consultation.