PSAT 10 common mistakes
PSAT 10 · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Answering from memory of the passage's general topic instead of locating the exact lines that support the chosen option, then moving on without checking the other three choices against the text.
The Reading and Writing section gives roughly 25–33 minutes per module for 33 questions, so candidates feel time pressure and substitute prior knowledge or a quick impression for evidence. Wrong options are usually true statements about the topic but not supported by the specific passage, so topic-level reading feels sufficient when it is not.
What to do instead
For every question, name the line numbers (or paragraph) that justify the answer before selecting. Then eliminate each distractor by stating the specific reason it fails: not in the passage, only partly supported, or contradicts a stated detail. Practice by covering the choices, predicting the answer from the text, then matching.
Treating paired 'which choice best supports the answer to the previous question' items independently, picking the best-sounding claim and then picking a quotation that seems related rather than one that actually proves it.
Candidates read the two questions as separate items and answer the first on plausibility. The quotation options often include a sentence that mentions the same topic but supports a different claim, which looks correct unless the candidate tests the logical link.
What to do instead
Work the pair in reverse: evaluate each quotation first, asking 'what claim does this sentence actually prove?' Then select the claim that matches the winning quotation. Confirm the pair by restating the link as 'the quotation shows X, therefore the claim is true.'
Choosing a transition word by how formal or sophisticated it sounds (for example, defaulting to 'nevertheless' or 'consequently') without first labeling the logical relationship between the two sentences.
Transition questions reward identifying the relationship (contrast, cause, addition, example, concession) before looking at choices. Candidates skip that step, and because several transitions can fit grammatically, they pick on tone rather than logic.
What to do instead
Before reading the options, write one word for the relationship between the sentences: same direction, opposite, cause-effect, or example. Then eliminate any choice that expresses a different relationship. If two remain, reread both sentences with each inserted and check that the meaning survives.
Answering notes-based synthesis questions by picking the choice that is grammatically clean or mentions the most facts, rather than the one that states the specific goal named in the prompt (such as emphasizing a similarity or presenting a finding).
These items supply bullet notes and a stated purpose, and candidates gravitate to the option that summarizes the most notes. Options that are accurate but miss the stated purpose are deliberately included, so completeness feels like safety.
What to do instead
Underline the exact goal in the prompt ('emphasize a difference,' 'support a recommendation') and reject any choice that does not serve that goal, even if true. Check that the chosen option is fully supported by the notes and does not add information absent from them.
Judging punctuation by where a pause feels natural when reading aloud, inserting or deleting commas, semicolons, and colons on that basis.
Spoken rhythm does not map onto written syntax. Many required commas (around nonessential elements) are not audible, and many audible pauses (before a subject or between a verb and its object) must not be punctuated.
What to do instead
Apply structural tests instead of listening: identify the main subject and verb, find where an independent clause ends, and check whether the material between commas can be removed without breaking the sentence. Use the colon test (must follow a complete clause and introduce an explanation or list) and the semicolon test (must join two independent clauses).
Choosing verb forms by matching the noun nearest the verb, or by matching the tense of a nearby verb, instead of finding the sentence's actual subject and the time frame established by the passage.
Long interrupting phrases between subject and verb, and inverted or delayed subjects, make proximity feel like agreement. Tense questions often hinge on a time marker elsewhere in the sentence or paragraph that candidates never locate.
What to do instead
Cross out prepositional phrases and relative clauses, then read subject and verb alone to test agreement. For tense and mood, circle every time expression and any conditional 'if' clause before choosing, and confirm the choice is consistent with the surrounding sentences, not just the nearest verb.
Solving word problems by grabbing the numbers and operating on them immediately, without first defining the variable and writing an equation that matches the described relationship.
Under time pressure, arithmetic feels faster than translation, and answer choices are designed to match common mis-operations (forgetting a fixed fee, reversing a rate, using the wrong base). Candidates then pick whichever computed number appears.
What to do instead
Write 'let x = ...' and one equation before calculating. Label units, and after solving, substitute the result back into the original wording to confirm it satisfies every sentence. When a fixed initial amount and a per-unit rate appear, write the form 'initial + rate × quantity' explicitly.
Leaving answers in the wrong form for the question asked, such as giving a value of x when the question asks for 3x + 2, a total cost, or a quantity in different units, and misreading 'which is NOT' or 'closest to.'
Candidates solve correctly, feel finished, and select the first matching number in the choices. Test writers include the intermediate value as a distractor, and the final sentence often asks for a derived quantity or a different unit.
What to do instead
Before solving, underline exactly what is requested and note any unit conversion. After finding the variable, perform the final requested operation and check the answer against the question's last sentence. Circle negative wording ('NOT,' 'except') so it is not skipped.
Treating the two Math modules as one pool and skipping or rushing questions without a plan, then running out of time on questions that were solvable, or spending many minutes on one hard item.
Each module is separately timed (about 35 minutes for 22 questions), and difficulty rises within a module. Without a pass strategy, a single stubborn question consumes time that several later questions would have used, and candidates do not realize the modules are timed independently.
What to do instead
Use two passes: answer everything straightforward first, flagging anything that stalls for more than about a minute, then return with remaining time. Never leave a blank, since there is no penalty for guessing. Practice with a timer so the pace (roughly 95 seconds per question average) becomes automatic.
Skipping or misusing the built-in graphing calculator on questions where it would save time, or relying on it for exact symbolic work it cannot do reliably, and failing to check the answer mode (degrees versus radians).
The digital test provides a graphing calculator throughout the Math section, but many candidates either avoid it out of habit or over-trust it, entering expressions without checking parentheses and reading a decimal approximation as exact. Angle-mode errors silently corrupt trig answers.
What to do instead
Practice specific uses: graphing both sides of an equation to find intersections, using tables for function values, and computing with stored exact values rather than rounded decimals. Confirm degree/radian mode at the start of every practice set, and verify calculator results against the structure of the problem.