What is the PSAT/NMSQT and why is it important?

The Preliminary SAT, or PSAT, is a practice exam that can be used as a simulation for the real SAT taken as a junior or senior.


The PSAT can be taken as early as eighth or ninth grade (PSAT 8/9). There is also one offered in tenth grade (PSAT 10).


The PSAT taken in October of 11th grade is considered especially important because this PSAT is used as the NMSQT, or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. After the test, students will receive a Selection Index score in their senior year. Different states have different cutoff scores. If students score in the top 3-4% but don’t meet the cutoff score, they are considered Commended Students. Students who score in the top 1% of test takers become Semifinalists (around 16,000 students total) and a majority of those students go on to become Finalists, which gives them a chance to earn scholarship money from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation or colleges that give scholarships based on NMSQT scores (


Either way, the PSAT makes great practice for the SAT, one of the main two tests that are used to indicate college readiness during the college admission processes.

There are 4 sections on the test. These are:


The PSAT is out 1520 (whereas the SAT is out of 1600). Math is 760 out the total 1520 points, which means it comprises 50% of the sections on the PSAT, making it an essential subject to review before the test. In this study guide, we will go over the logistics of the two math sections, strategies to improve accuracy and speed, and review important content to help you ace the math section. 💪🏾

In both sections, students will be provided the following formula sheet.

These are also very useful for the regular ol’ SAT.

When you take the test and you stumble upon a challenging question, eliminate choices that you know for certain aren’t correct. For example, you eliminate C and D, leaving A and B. Now there is a 50% chance of getting the answer correct, even if you have to guess. REMEMBER that there is no penalty for an incorrect answer. Therefore, make the best guess you can and move on to the next question.

There are 17 questions on the non-calculator section. Imagine if you spent like 5 out of the 25 allotted minutes on a difficult question. Now you only have 20 minutes to do the other 16 questions 😬 Unfortunately, you are only able to finish 12 of those questions. This results with you getting 76% on this section. However, if you had just marked the question for later or guessed on it, you would have potentially gotten 94% on this section. Therefore, being cognizant of which questions are taking a significant amount of time is very important. After all, the questions are weighted the same. The hard questions don’t earn more points, so don't get stuck wasting time on them. 

Just joking. It doesn’t have to be C. The point is to pick a letter that you will use as a default for whenever you can’t answer a question. The first option, of course, would be to make an educated guess. But if you still have no clue, just bubble in the same letter for all the unsure questions to increase your probability of getting each question right.

Sometimes we are in such a rush that we forget to read the whole question. For example, the question asks “if x satisfies the equation above, what is the value of _x + _." You might be in a hurry and quickly solve for the value of x, rather than understanding what the question is truly asking. There are often multi-step problems like this that get missed due to not reading till the end. This common mistake is often made on problems like the statistical table ones where they are asking for conditional frequency not relative frequency.

Familiarize yourself on how to fill out grid for the Grid-In answers

There are two reasons for this. A-you don’t want to waste time reading how you’re supposed to input answers on the day of the test. B-you don’t want your answers to be read wrong by the scantron. 🤦🏿‍♀️

This is especially useful for when there is a problem in which you have to visualize a graph. For example, the problem gives two points that an equation (7x + b) goes through and asks for the value of b (the y-intercept). It helps to visualize it a bit to understand the ballpark of where the answers should be valued.

There are two ways you can do this. Either you plug the answer choices into the provided equations (or inequality) OR you plug a random number into each answer choice to find the equation that satisfies the conditions of the question.


For example, you need to select the correct order pair that satisfies a system of equations. You can just plug the ordered pairs in and see if the left and right sides of the equation match for both equations in the system, then you got your answer! ✔️


Plugging a number into an equation or inequality usually works when there is a question that asks for some equivalent equation or to write an equation that satisfies certain conditions.

There are often multi-step problems with a lot of information to process at once. Therefore, you should take little notes on the side for each significant number that is given. Ask yourself: what information do I KNOW and what exactly is it that I'm looking for? This way, you have broken the problem down into bits of information that you can easily process to solve the problem.

A good technique is to underline important numbers as you read the question. This technique is especially important for problems relating to unit conversions/rates. Underline the unit that the answer should be in and keep this on the back of your mind as you solve the problem. For example, the question asks for something in ounces, but you have been solving the problem in gallons and you didn’t convert. Yikes! 😱

This trick is often taught in science classrooms, but it's very useful for the PSAT as well.


1. Write the value and units of the number you are given or have just solved for.  


3. Multiply it by the conversion factor (often provided in the problem). This conversion factor should be a fraction with the unit that YOU WANT in the answer in the numerator and the unit that you are converting FROM in the denominator.


4. Repeat Step 3 until you get to the type of units you desire


5. Multiply all the fractions out and get your answer!

, the main 3 topics that are tested in these sections are the Heart of Algebra, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and Passport to Advanced Math. There are also some additional topics. We have provided examples of problems for each type of question.

Solve for a variable in the linear equation/inequality, write a linear expression or equation/inequality depending on the context of the problem, simplifying equations/inequalities, or interpreting an equation/inequality in a word problem.

Systems of two linear equations/inequalities with two variables

Write or interpret a system of equations/inequalities depending on the context of the problem, and solve/simplify the system.

Write a linear function based on the linear relationship between two quantities

The function should have two variables and is formed from data given from the word problem.

Solve linear equations/inequalities with one variable (ex. 2x + 3 = 30)

The equation can have 0, 1, or an infinite # of solutions. Determining what value a constant or coefficient in an equation should have to yield 0 or infinite # of solutions.

Solve two-equation systems with two variables algebraically (ex. 2x + 3y = 30)

The system can have 0, 1, 2, or infinite # of solutions. Determining what value a constant or coefficient in an equation should have to yield 0, 1, or infinite # of solutions.

Connection between equations and real-life context

Given context about a situation, interpret what the constants and variables in an equation mean.

Relationship between algebraic and graphical representations of a linear equation

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