Is The Psat Hard?

[FatJoe214]

Well tommarow me and a select few of kids in my middle school are going to take the PSAT and I'm just wondering is it a hard test?I'm asking cause I wanna know if what I'm up against will be a tough enemy.

[powerfuldude]

Yes, and if you miss even one question you get sent back a grade.

[Stupor]

Let me just put it this way:

The math section is 80 points.

The average score for the USA is 450.

By the test's strange grading system, you need to get 48% right to get a 400.

So basically, you could miss half the problems and still be better than half of the country.

Also, getting a question wrong is minus 0.25 of a point, while leaving it blank doesn't subtract anything.

[Sekhem]

it's very hard

watch out for those really tough questions like converting fahrenheit to centigrade

it's so hard i think i actually missed one question on it!

[knightsofthecircle]

Do you understand the concept of English and Mathematics? Then you should be able to pass it.

[AlphaCentauri]

Ohhhhh, select, are you? Whoop-de-dooooo everyone, we've got a select fucking student over here, only him and a few others were slected, bet they are smart.

I don't know, they are just whatever, if I were you I'd be more concerned about how bored you are going to get in that room for hours.

[Creepyfan]

Your in middle school?

[M-Y]

At 10/13/09 06:40 PM, powerfuldude wrote: Yes, and if you miss even one question you get sent back a grade.

thank god i dont live in america

[JKMonkey]

not really, its like the SAT but a lot easier, a lot of the questions youll know so

[manonthemoon516]

What the hell are you doing taking the PSAT at 13?

[Sekhem]

At 10/13/09 06:57 PM, manonthemoon516 wrote: What the hell are you doing taking the PSAT at 13?

I took it as a freshman in High School. Not that uncommon really.

[manonthemoon516]

At 10/13/09 07:01 PM, Sekhem wrote:

At 10/13/09 06:57 PM, manonthemoon516 wrote: What the hell are you doing taking the PSAT at 13?

I took it as a freshman in High School. Not that uncommon really.

I see. I didn't take it until the middle of 10th grade.

[aSquared94]

I'm taking it tomorrow also, but I'm a sophomore. It doesn't count for shit so don't worry :D

[Kaizerwolf]

My PSAT is this Saturday, and I'm a Sophomore as well... I'm not entirely sure why a middle school kid is taking it, unless being in 9th grade counts as a middle school...

This'll be my first PSAT, so I'm kinda nervous, but i know the grade doesn't really matter.

[JadedTombstone]

For the P SAT all i sat in pee and thats it.....wait is this the wrong PSAT?

[Blush]

I'm actually taking it tomorrow, and I've heard it's actually really easy, so long as you understand the getneral cocepts of the subjects such as english.

[wwwyzzerdd]

If you ever have to ask if an American grade school test is hard, chances are you won't do too well on it.

[Rabid-Animals]

It's really nothing to worry about until you get to Junior year. Then, it counts for all sorts of scholarships and colleges start mailing you all the time. There are a lot of resources, some of them free, even by the College Board (who makes the test) that'll improve your score. Definitely ask a counselor about them.

The test itself takes an incredible amount of critical thinking, so put your genius cap on.

[PenguinKommando]

At 10/13/09 06:53 PM, M-Y wrote:

At 10/13/09 06:40 PM, powerfuldude wrote: Yes, and if you miss even one question you get sent back a grade.

thank god i dont live in america

I knew a kid, I think his name was Josh, I barely remember it. Well, Josh tried to ask for help on a question on the PSAT, then he and the supervisor stepped outside or went for a walk or something, I guess so they wouldn't disturb the other testers. After about fifteen minutes, the supervisor came back but Josh didn't - after the test was over, I picked up some of the stuff he left, and asked where he went, the supervisor said he was sent home because that was his last question and he had finished outside, but I really remember turning in his answer sheet, as he had left it on his desk; regardless, I remember very well what happened next, I told the supervisor I thought I just turned in Josh's answer sheet, and the supervisor grabs me by the shoulder, and it feels like hes about to crush the whole area, and growls at me, "Go home, you've got a big day of school tomorrow, David." This scared the shit out of me because I hadn't told him my name, and my test sheet was mixed in the pile with the others. I get the fuck out of there and try calling Josh to find out what happened, but the number isn't working, it says the line's disconnected. I looked through the student directory, but there's a huge black line through his information, I remember thinking it was really weird, but I guess my little sister had just scribbled it out.

Now, I went to a small school in a Texas town, and the next day at school the teacher gives us an announcement about Josh's family having moved away - we weren't good friends, but he never mentioned anything about that to me. I think for the next few weeks I keep trying to find out what happened to him, really where he moved to, and I remember over time, people had even forgotten he was ever there - they didn't know, or care, I guess. I remember the last day I had been asking about him, on my way home from school I was stopped by some guys in this fucked up Astro Van. I vaguely recognize one guy, he had on machoman sunglasses, so I couldn't see his eyes, but he hands me this business card that's totally blank except for that pyramid with the eye on it, with sunbeams coming out from behind it. He grabs my hand, wrenches the card from it, flips it over and shoves it back to me, and says, "Here's the address of your buddy - Hey, we're going to be heading that way now, want a lift? We kinda got a full load but I'm sure we could squeeze you in." The door opens up and two guys in black suits get out, dressed too well to be riding in this beater that they're driving - I notice the man in the back was holding something, I only noticed because it was glinting, and the horrifying smile of the man holding it - I assume it was a knife or something. I suddenly realize that Josh was not that good of a friend of mine, so long as he was alive, I could find him any time, but all I can do is stand there in shocked silence. The first man asks again, "You sure you don't want to go see your buddy?" I can't reply, but he grabs me by the shoulder, with this monster grip and growls, "Good. It would be a shame if you had to move away too." He gets back in the driver's seat, and the two other men who had gotten out chuckle, one pats me on the back, hitting hard enough to almost knock me over, and they drive off.

I never asked about Josh after that, and I don't really care anymore. Everyone else seems to have forgotten him, and I really don't want to remember.

I don't really know what to tell you other than, "Don't Fuck Up".

[Fendi]

If you're like naturally smart you should do great on it, but chances are you're going to get a score around 1500 maybe. I've never taken the PSAT before and I took the SAT in my junior year and got a 1460/2400, and this is coming from someone with a 3.8 GPA. I took it a second time and got a 1650 without studying at all so anything can happen. As long as you know your basic concepts of math and english you're fine.

The math section doesn't have specific formulas, instead you have to pretty much form your own formula, it's critical thinking.

The English section is straight forward, passage reading based questions and vocabulary fill in the blanks. Just remember that for the passages you make sure to choose the answer that the passage says, not what you think the passage should or meant to say. The vocabulary fill in the blanks should be real easy if you know big vocabulary words. I recommend using SAT vocab flash cards to remember them.

[uzi47]

At 10/13/09 06:53 PM, M-Y wrote:

At 10/13/09 06:40 PM, powerfuldude wrote: Yes, and if you miss even one question you get sent back a grade.

thank god i dont live in america

Oh my god....

[manonthemoon516]

At 10/13/09 07:25 PM, Rabid-Animals wrote: It's really nothing to worry about until you get to Junior year. Then, it counts for all sorts of scholarships and colleges start mailing you all the time. There are a lot of resources, some of them free, even by the College Board (who makes the test) that'll improve your score. Definitely ask a counselor about them.

The test itself takes an incredible amount of critical thinking, so put your genius cap on.

OP: Regarding the college mail thing, make a new email account (AS SOON AS YOU ARE DONE READING THIS). Put your new email address in the spot on the test. After that, sit back, and await the flood. I just used the email address I had always used, and then I couldn't really use it anymore because of the 1,500+ emails I got from colleges.

[Purplefunk]

At 10/13/09 07:33 PM, PenguinKommando wrote:

At 10/13/09 06:53 PM, M-Y wrote:

At 10/13/09 06:40 PM, powerfuldude wrote:

I knew a kid, I think his name was Josh

What the fuck, either nice copypasta or story bitch.

LOL @ middleschool.

I decided not to waste my 15 dollars on the PSAT

[IOUPAIN]

Do most schools even looked at the PSAT when you apply?

Also, don't worry. When you apply for college they don't look at the first time you took it, they look at your best score.

[Poonmonkey1]

lol i have to take that tomorrow too
im a sophomore in hs tho so i dont give a shit b/c your not eligible for the national merit scholarships until im a junior

[OneWordName]

Sophomore. Taking it tomorrow.

However, the difference between me and you is that I am more concerned with getting out of school three hours early, while you are concerned with the test itself. Silly boy.

[InsertFunnyUserName]

If you've taken algebra 1 and have a decent vocabulary and understanding of English grammar, you should be fine.

I'm taking the PSAT's tomorrow, actually, and I just looked through the prep booklet (for the first time since I got it). Most of the stuff on there doesn't look too hard. Most of the math is algebra or basic geometry. The vocab is relatively easy being that they always give you context. As long as you know how to read, you should do fine on the reading comprehension. As far as the non-multiple choice math questions, they don't take points off for getting a wrong answer, so worst case scenario is you don't get a point.

The main purpose of the PSAT's is just to get you used to that format of test taking and to build your test taking skills for when you take the SAT's in junior or senior year. The content doesn't actually matter as much as long as you have a relatively decent comprehension of it.

[absent]

At 10/13/09 07:57 PM, IOUPAIN wrote: Do most schools even looked at the PSAT when you apply?

PSAT scores themselves don't matter for college. However, doing well on the exam, and especially becoming a national merit scholar/finalist can be an important factor in selective college admissions, and can get you scholarships and even free-rides at other schools.

At 10/13/09 08:23 PM, OneWordName wrote: However, the difference between me and you is that I am more concerned with getting out of school three hours early, while you are concerned with the test itself. Silly boy.

This is exactly what I was thinking about when I took it, but in retrospect it would have been nice to have been a little more concerned about the test earlier on. I didn't start studying for the SAT until well into my junior year of high school, and even then I didn't work too hard at it. Although I like to brag I did well without ever worrying about the test, it would have been nicer to have done better with a little studying.

The main difference between the PSAT and the SAT is really the curve. Since there are less questions on the PSAT, getting even one or two wrong in a section drops your score very quickly (and with my tendency to make stupid mistakes, I fell victim to this). In difficulty, however, the SAT and PSAT seem pretty much the same.

[twotoedsleuth]

If you are asking how hard the PSAT is now, one day before the test, I guarantee that you won't do well at all. You will not get a scholarship unless you start studying now (if you are a sophomore) for the next year. Trust me, it's worth it - a little hard work in high school pays off in leaps and bounds later.