PSAT/NMSQT study guide
PSAT/NMSQT · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The PSAT/NMSQT is one of the in-school assessments in the College Board's SAT Suite, taken at a school rather than at a weekend test center. It is designed for students who want to discover their strengths, explore scholarships, and track how far they have progressed toward college and career readiness. The test has two sections: a Reading and Writing Section and a Math Section. Because it is administered in school, your principal or counselor is the right person to ask whether your school offers it and when. Topics on this exam: Reading and Writing and Math. The PSAT/NMSQT study guide has 2 sections and about 745 words.
01Reading and Writing
The Reading and Writing section is a 64-minute, two-module section of multiple-choice questions. Each question gives you a short passage or a pair of passages and four choices; you choose the single best answer. Questions cluster around four skill areas: Information and Ideas (central ideas, details, command of evidence, quantitative and cross-text connections), Craft and Structure (words in context, text structure, purpose, point of view), Expression of Ideas (rhetorical synthesis and transitions), and Standard English Conventions (sentence boundaries, agreement, punctuation, modifiers). Answer the question asked.
353 words, about 2 min02Math
The Math section is 70 minutes across two modules, with multiple-choice and student-produced response (SPR) questions; a calculator is allowed throughout. Content falls into four areas: Algebra (linear equations, inequalities, systems, functions), Advanced Math (quadratic, exponential, polynomial, radical, and rational relationships), Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (ratios, percentages, rates, statistics, probability, sampling), and Geometry and Trigonometry (area, volume, angles, right-triangle relationships, trigonometric ratios). Translate the wording into an equation before computing; define the variable, including its units. Linear models: slope is a rate per unit; the y-intercept is the starting value when the input is zero.
392 words, about 2 min