What Is the PSAT/NMSQT?
The Preliminary SAT / National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test: SAT practice for everyone, and the one test that decides National Merit.
Quick facts
The PSAT/NMSQT is a digital, adaptive test given each October to high school sophomores and juniors. It is scored 320–1520 and produces a Selection Index (48–228) that the National Merit Scholarship Corporation uses to name roughly 16,000 Semifinalists a year. Only the October test of your junior year counts for National Merit. Scores are not sent to colleges.
Test Format
Reading and Writing
Score: 160–760
Time: 64 minutes (two 32-minute modules)
Questions: 54 short passages, each with one question: vocabulary in context, main idea, evidence, grammar, transitions and rhetoric.
Math
Score: 160–760
Time: 70 minutes (two 35-minute modules)
Questions: 44 covering algebra, advanced math, problem solving and data analysis, geometry and trigonometry. Built-in Desmos calculator on every question.
Total
Score: 320–1520
Time: 2 hours 14 minutes
Format: Digital, taken in the Bluebook app on a school or personal device. Each section's second module is easier or harder based on the first.
The Selection Index: the Score That Matters for National Merit
National Merit does not use your total score. It uses the Selection Index, which counts Reading & Writing twice:
Selection Index = (Reading & Writing × 2 + Math) ÷ 10
Example: 720 Reading & Writing and 730 Math → (1440 + 730) ÷ 10 = 217. Perfect scores (760/760) give 228.
Open the Selection Index calculator to check your score against your state's cutoff.
Because Reading & Writing is double-weighted, a 760 RW / 700 M (Selection Index 222) beats a 700 RW / 760 M (216) even though both total 1460. Students targeting National Merit should push Reading & Writing hardest.
When to Take the PSAT
Sophomore year (practice)
Useful for a baseline and for getting used to the adaptive format. The score does not count for National Merit. Many schools also offer the PSAT 10 in spring.
Junior year (counts)
The October PSAT/NMSQT of 11th grade is the only test that enters you in the National Merit program. There is no retake. If you miss it for illness or a school issue, see Alternate Entry in the FAQ.
Test dates are set by schools within College Board's October window (a primary date, a Saturday date and an alternate date). Ask your counselor which day your school uses.
Scoring and Score Reports
Scores post to your College Board account in November, about four to six weeks after the test. The report shows:
- Total score (320–1520) and section scores (160–760 each)
- The National Merit Selection Index (48–228) and whether you meet the entry requirements
- Percentiles against a nationally representative sample and against actual test-takers
- Knowledge and skills feedback by content domain
Colleges never see PSAT scores. Only you, your school and NMSC (if you qualify) receive them. That makes the PSAT a low-risk dress rehearsal for the SAT and a high-reward shot at National Merit.
How Your Score Turns Into National Merit Recognition
- Commended Student: Selection Index at or above the national cutoff (208 for the Class of 2027). About 34,000 students.
- Semifinalist: Selection Index at or above your state's cutoff (208–223 for the Class of 2027). About 16,000 students, roughly the top 1% in each state.
- Finalist and Scholar: Semifinalists who complete the application and confirm their score on the SAT or ACT. See the full timeline.
PSAT vs SAT
The two tests share the same sections, question types and adaptive design. The PSAT/NMSQT is scored 320–1520 instead of 400–1600, is slightly easier at the top end, and is given only in October at school. A strong PSAT score is a reliable predictor of your SAT score, and PSAT practice is SAT practice.