Transcript PSAT - Cathedral High School

PSAT
WHAT IS THE PSAT
PSAT/NMSQT stands for Preliminary SAT/
National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test
Students take the PSAT to:
 Prepare for the SAT
 Enter competitions for scholarships (Junior year)
 Begin college and career planning
 Receive information from colleges
 Help assess academic skills necessary for college-level work
PSAT at
Cathedral
• When: Weds, Oct 12th
• Who: Sophomores and
Juniors
• Where: Classrooms will
be assigned
The test, including all administrative
tasks, takes approximately 3 hours.
HOW TO PREPARE
Visit collegeboard.com to learn about the PSAT
 http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about/
ontest.html
Use your PSAT practice guide
Know the difference between educated guessing
and random guessing
Learn the format and timing of the test
Know the directions for each type of question
The PSAT has 5 sections that measure 3 areas of
competence:
• Two 25-minute Critical Reading sections
• Two 25-minute Math sections
• One 30-minute Writing Skills section
All sections are designed to measure knowledge and skills
developed throughout students’ years of study, as well as
critical-thinking ability.
THE SECTIONS: BRIEF OVERVIEW
CRITICAL READING
Sentence Completion
 One or two words are missing in a sentence
Passage-Based Reading
 Tests students’ ability to read, understand and interpret reading
passages.
 Passages are usually drawn from actual published works
MATHEMATICS
Numbers and
Operations
Algebra
Functions
Geometry and
Measurement
Data Analysis,
Statistics and
Probability
Arithmetic word
problems
Quadratic
equations
Area and
perimeter of a
polygon
Data
interpretation
(graphs & tables)
Properties of
integers
Algebraic word
problems
Area and
Statistics (mean,
circumference of a median, mode)
circle
Rational numbers
Liner equations
and inequalities
Pythagorean
Theorem
Counting
techniques
Absolute values
Slope
Probability
WRITING SKILLS
Improving Sentences
 Part or all of a sentence will be underlined; students will choose
which form of the sentence is most correct.
Identifying Sentence Errors
 Four parts of the sentence are underlined and students select which
part (if any) is incorrect
Improving Paragraphs
 Students are asked to consider revisions in the context of an essay
DAY OF THE TEST
Eat a healthy breakfast
Come to school in uniform
Bring a calculator and No. 2 pencils
Do not bring extra materials
SCORING THE TEST
EACH SECTION IS GIVEN A SCORE FROM 20-80.
THIS IS COMPARABLE TO THE SAT POINT SCALE OF 200-800.
Questions?