Short answer: The PSAT scores on a 320-1520 scale, with each section (Reading/Writing and Math) running 160-760. The national average is around 930, and only the 11th-grade sitting counts toward National Merit recognition, which is based on a state-specific Selection Index cutoff rather than the raw score alone.
Key takeaways
- PSAT scores range from 320 to 1520, mirroring a scaled-down version of the SAT's 400-1600 range.
- Only the junior-year (11th grade) PSAT counts toward National Merit Scholarship consideration.
- The National Merit Selection Index weights the Reading and Writing score twice as heavily as Math.
- A PSAT score in the 1200-1290 range typically predicts an SAT score somewhere around 1250-1360.
What is the PSAT score range?
The PSAT uses a 320-1520 total scale, built from two section scores of 160-760 each: Reading and Writing, and Math. It's intentionally modeled on the SAT's 400-1600 scale so families can translate between the two fairly easily.
What counts as a good PSAT score?
Context matters, especially by grade. A score in the 1400-1520 range puts a student in roughly the top 5% nationally. 1300-1399 is around the top 10%. For most 10th graders, a 1200-1299 is a strong, college-ready result worth being pleased with, since it's still over a year before the test that actually counts for scholarships.
How the National Merit Selection Index works
National Merit doesn't use the raw PSAT score directly. Instead, it calculates a Selection Index using this formula: (Reading and Writing score x 2) + Math score, resulting in a scale from roughly 48 to 228. That doubling of the verbal score means two students with the same total PSAT score can end up with meaningfully different Selection Index numbers depending on how their score splits between sections.
Only the PSAT taken in 11th grade counts toward National Merit. A strong 10th-grade score is useful information, but it doesn't carry forward.
The National Merit funnel, state by state
Each year, roughly 34,000 students nationwide earn Commended Student recognition, around 16,000 become Semifinalists (the top performers in each state), about 15,000 of those advance to Finalist, and roughly 7,500 ultimately receive a National Merit Scholarship. Because Semifinalist status is based on the top performers within each state, not a single national number, the cutoff Selection Index varies by state, generally ranging from the low 200s in less populous states to the low-to-mid 220s in more competitive states.
How a PSAT score predicts the SAT
Because the two tests share a format and scale, a PSAT score gives a reasonable preview of where a first SAT attempt might land. A PSAT in the 1200-1290 range, for example, often predicts an SAT somewhere in the 1250-1360 range after normal junior-to-senior-year growth, assuming the student puts in real prep time between the two tests.
Using the PSAT to build an SAT prep plan
- Review the section breakdown, not just the total score, to see whether Math or Reading/Writing needs more attention.
- Check question-level detail if it's available, to spot patterns in the specific question types missed.
- Calculate the Selection Index for juniors to see how close the score sits to the state's typical National Merit range.
- Build a timeline to the SAT based on the gap between the current PSAT score and the target SAT score.
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