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Prepare for the NewPSAT/NMSQT

»»What Is the New PSAT/NMSQT?»» Skills Tested on the New PSAT/NMSQT»»How to Prepare for the New PSAT/NMSQT»»Sample New PSAT/NMSQT Questions»»Resources

What Is the NewPSAT/ NMSQT ?

Some Key Facts»» Scores for the SATSuite of Assessments (SAT, PSAT/NMSQT ,PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9) are reported on a common verticalscale, allowing you to measure your progress ›› Propels you toward college and career readines›› Is cosponsored by the College Board andNational Merit Scholarship Corporation›› Serves as an entry point to millions in scholarship dollars»» 3.8 MILLIONstudents took the PSAT/NMSQT in 2014 to getfeedback on their skills and practice for the SAT

What’s Changing on thePSAT/NMSQTChanges?NewPSAT/NMSQT 2 hours 45 minutesNo penalty for guessing or blank responsesalso known as “rights-only scoring”Personalized SAT practice through Khan Academywith your own PSAT/NMQST scores Scale ranges for the scores are 320 – 1520for the total score

Benefits of the New PSAT/NMSQT : Personalized SAT practice on Khan Academy basedon your PSAT/NMSQT answers Aligned to the new SAT coming out in March 2016Increased access to new scholarship providersOnline college and career planning toolsAdmission and financial aid information from colleges

Skills Testedon the NewPSAT/ NMSQT

Reading TestWriting and Language TestMath Test»» Each test assesses the academic skills that you’ve developedover the years, primarily through your course work.»» These skills are considered essential for success inhigh school and college and career.

Reading Test»»5 Passages»»47 Passage-Based Questions; 60 minutesquick facts›› All questions are multiple choice and based on passages.›› Some passages are paired with other passages or informationalgraphics such as charts, graphs, and tables.›› No mathematical computation is required.›› Prior topic-specific knowledge is never tested.

Reading TestWhat to expect?In the Reading Test, you willencounter questions like thoseasked in a lively, thoughtful,evidence-based discussion.

Writing and Language Test»»4 Passages»»44 Passage-Based Questions; 35 minutesquick facts›› All questions are multiple choice and based on passages.›› Some passages are paired with informational graphicssuch as charts, graphs, and tables.›› Prior topic-specific knowledge is never tested.›› No mathematical computation is required.

Writing and Language TestWhat to expect?The Writing and Language Test putsyou in the active role of an editor whois improving a written passage. Mostquestions ask you to decide which, if any,of the three alternatives to an underlinedpart of a passage most improves it.

Math Test»»2 Test Sections»» 48 Questions (40 multiple choice, 8 grid-ins,»»2 sections, 70 minutes)quick facts›› Most math questions will be multiple choice, but somewill be student-produced responses (grid-ins).›› The Math Test is divided into two portions:Math Test – Calculator and Math Test – No Calculator.›› Some parts of the test will present you with a scenarioand then ask several questions about it.

Math TestWhat to expect?The Math Test focuses on the maththat matters most to college andcareer readiness. To succeed onthe Math Test, you will need todemonstrate mathematical practices,such as problem solving and usingappropriate tools strategically.

How Does the New PSAT/NMSQTConnect to the New SAT ? Content andDomain Alignment:Scoring:All tests in the SAT Suite ofAssessments are on a commonscore scale that provides consistentfeedback, enabling teachers toadjust instruction to better supportstudents who are ahead or behind.All tests in the SAT Suite ofAssessments (SAT, PSAT/NMSQT,PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9) arealigned to the same researchbackbone and focus on the samedomain of knowledge and skills.SAT (200–800)PSAT 10 AND PSAT/NMSQT (160–760)PSAT 8/9 (120–720)120200300400500600Grade-level benchmarks will indicate ifstudents are making “on target” progresstoward the SAT benchmark700800

How Does the New PSAT/NMSQTConnect to the New SAT ? That means the score you get on thePSAT/NMSQT is the same score youwould have gotten on the SAT if youhad taken it on the same day.580SAT (200–800)PSAT 10 AND PSAT/NMSQT (160–760)PSAT 8/9 (120–720)120200300400500600Grade-level benchmarks will indicate ifstudents are making “on target” progresstoward the SAT benchmark700800

How Does the New PSAT/NMSQTCompare to the New SAT ? SATPSAT/NMSQT2 hours 45 minutesTime3 hours 50 minutesOptionalEssay160 – 760200 – 800Section Score Range

How to Prepare for theNew PSAT/NMSQT

Know How the NewPSAT/NMSQT Is Scored Rights-Only Scoring:»»1 point for each correct answer»»0 points deducted for each incorrect or blank questionMath Grid-ins»»You can enter answers as (reduced) fractions or decimals»»If rounding a decimal, make sure to use every boxScale»»160 – 760 for each test section»»320 – 1520 for the total score

Personalized Skills InformationThe PSAT/NMSQTScore Report DBHi, Ima B. StudentSchool Name: John F. Kennedy High School, School Code: 1234562015, Grade 10Student I.D. #24068907Optional Code: #00Access Code: A02670146P»» Contains information to help youimprove your academic skills.»» Lists skills that you have thebest chance of improving withadditional work.»» Connects to personalized practicerecommendations on Khan Academy.Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying TestYour Score ReportGet your full report onlinestudentscores.collegeboard.orgaccess code A02670146PSAT PracticeAP and Course WorkRegister for the SATConnect to FREE, world-classSAT practice online onkhanacademy.org/satSee which AP courses maybe good matches for youSelect an SAT test date andregister for it now

Preparation Starts in SchoolRead»» Continuous reading improves vocabularyand develops essential skills.Take Challenging Courses»» This will help you to develop and strengthenyour critical thinking skills.

Sample NewPSAT/ NMSQTQuestions

reading testPassage-Based QuestionsPassage Excerpt:[. . .] The coming decades will likely seemore intense clustering of jobs, innovation,and productivity in a smaller number ofbigger cities and city-regions. Some regionscould end up bloated beyond the capacityof their infrastructure, while others struggle,their promise stymied by inadequatehuman or other resources.Adapted from Richard Florida, The Great Reset. 2010 by Richard Florida.As used in line 2, “intense”most nearly means(A) emotional.(B) concentrated.(C) brilliant.(D) determined.

reading testPassage-Based QuestionsPassage Excerpt:[. . .] The coming decades will likely seemore intense clustering of jobs, innovation,and productivity in a smaller number ofbigger cities and city-regions. Some regionscould end up bloated beyond the capacityof their infrastructure, while others struggle,their promise stymied by inadequatehuman or other resources.Adapted from Richard Florida, The Great Reset. 2010 by Richard Florida.As used in line 2, “intense”most nearly means(A) emotional.(B) concentrated.(C) brilliant.(D) determined.

reading testPassage-Based QuestionsThis question asks students to determine word meaning within asocial science context. While students may frequently use the word“intense” to describe personalities or emotions, the context of thissentence requires students to recognize that “intense” can also mean“concentrated.” The best answer here is choice B because the contextmakes clear that the clustering of jobs, innovation, and productivityis expected to be denser, or more concentrated in a smaller numberof bigger cities and city-regions, over the coming decades. In theseways, the question draws students back to the text rather thanrewarding only isolated vocabulary knowledge.

writing and language testPassage-Based QuestionsPassage Excerpt:[. . .] As Kingman developed as a painter,his works were often compared to paintingsby Chinese landscape artists dating back toCE 960, a time when a strong tradition oflandscape painting emerged in Chinese art.Kingman, however, 5 vacated from thattradition in a number of ways, most notablyin that he chose to focus not on naturallandscapes, such as mountains and rivers, buton cities. [. . .]5(A) NO CHANGE(B) evacuated(C) departed(D) retired

writing and language testPassage-Based QuestionsPassage Excerpt:[. . .] As Kingman developed as a painter,his works were often compared to paintingsby Chinese landscape artists dating back toCE 960, a time when a strong tradition oflandscape painting emerged in Chinese art.Kingman, however, 5 vacated from thattradition in a number of ways, most notablyin that he chose to focus not on naturallandscapes, such as mountains and rivers, buton cities. [. . .]5(A) NO CHANGE(B) evacuated(C) departed(D) retired

writing and language testPassage-Based QuestionsThis question asks students to determine which word makesthe most sense in the context of a sentence. “Departed” is themost contextually appropriate way to indicate that Kingmanhad deviated from the tradition of Chinese landscape paintingin a number of ways. In this sort of question, students mustdemonstrate not only facility with language in general butalso skill in using language in particular contexts to conveymeaning clearly and precisely.

math testCalculator: PermittedAaron is staying at a hotel that charges 99.95 per night plus tax for a room. Atax of 8% is applied to the room rate, andan additional one-time untaxed fee of 5.00 is charged by the hotel. Which of thefollowing represents Aaron’s total charge,in dollars, for staying x nights?(A) (99.95 0.08x) 5(B) 1.08(99.95x) 5(C) 1.08(99.95x 5)(D) 1.08(99.95 5)x

math testCalculator: PermittedAaron is staying at a hotel that charges 99.95 per night plus tax for a room. Atax of 8% is applied to the room rate, andan additional one-time untaxed fee of 5.00 is charged by the hotel. Which of thefollowing represents Aaron’s total charge,in dollars, for staying x nights?(A) (99.95 0.08x) 5(B) 1.08(99.95x) 5(C) 1.08(99.95x 5)(D) 1.08(99.95 5)x

math testCalculator: PermittedThis problem asks students to interpret a situation and formulatea linear expression that represents the situation mathematically.The construction of mathematical models that represent real-worldscenarios is a critical skill.The total charge is the room rate, the 8% tax on the room rate,and a fixed fee. If Aaron stayed x nights, then the total chargeis 99.95x (0.08 99.95x) 5, which can be rewritten as1.08(99.95x) 5.

math testCalculator: Not Permitted13In this equation, what is the value of k?5(k 2)–713–(4–k)695k 369 k997(A)913(B)3317(C)3313(D)

math testCalculator: Not Permitted13In this equation, what is the value of k?5(k 2)–713–(4–k)69139799 135(k 2)–713–(4–k)In this problem, students will demonstratetheir7695k 3 in solving9 k equations in onefluency33variable.69917Choice B is correct. Simplifying13the numerators yields335k 39 k3313691733 27 54 6k.and cross-multiplication gives 45k13Solving for k yields k (A)(B)(C)(D)