When Do Students Take the PSAT Test? A Comprehensive Guide

The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a standardized test administered by the College Board and co-sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) in the United States. It serves multiple purposes, including providing students with an opportunity to practice for the SAT, assessing their academic skills, and determining eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Understanding when students typically take the PSAT is crucial for effective test preparation and maximizing its potential benefits.

Who Takes the PSAT and When?

The question of when students take the PSAT is nuanced, as it depends on their grade level and the specific version of the test. Here's a breakdown:

8th and 9th Graders: Students in middle and early high school may take the PSAT 8/9. This specially designed version serves primarily as practice. It mirrors the structure and pacing of the PSAT but features content appropriate for younger students. The PSAT 8/9 is really just for practice and does not impact eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship program.
10th Graders: Sophomores often take the PSAT 10, which is effectively the PSAT itself. As of 2025, many districts offered a PSAT 10 date within a window that falls from March through April. If a student's school administers the PSAT in the spring, the date would likely fall on a school day and would also be indicated on the school's calendar for the year.
11th Graders (Juniors): The formal PSAT, which also doubles as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT), is typically taken by high school juniors. This is the PSAT that counts toward National Merit Scholarship eligibility.

Read also: UCF Application Strategies

In short, nearly everyone from the 8th grade through the 11th grade may take the PSAT, depending on their school and grade level.

Specific PSAT Test Dates

Typically, schools or districts schedule the PSAT in October of a given year. The College Board publishes the PSAT test-taking schedule in advance of the school year beginning. The College Board allows schools to choose a particular testing date within the window of October 1st to 31st to administer the PSAT. As such, some schools within a given city may have the PSAT on October 5th while others have it on October 25th: the scheduling is done at the discretion of the school or district. The College Board also allows for one Saturday PSAT administration, typically on the 2nd or 3rd Saturday of the month. For 2025, October 11th is the designated PSAT weekend date, which happens to coincide with Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day.

Why Take the PSAT?

There are several compelling reasons for students to take the PSAT:

Preparation for the SAT: The PSAT is a great way to get ready for the “varsity”-level tests you may take later in high school. Both the PSAT and the SAT feature fairly similar structures and fairly similar content. The PSAT gives you an opportunity to understand the standardized test experience.
Diagnostic Feedback: The PSAT will give diagnostic feedback and a fairly comprehensive score report to show you what you did well with and what you might have struggled on. You can take your PSAT score report and sync it with the Khan Academy to develop a fairly robust self-study plan or use your PSAT scores to give you a sense of where you might start your SAT study journey.

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College Readiness Indicator: Your PSAT scores will serve as an initial signal to colleges and universities the extent to which you’re ready for the academic transition beyond high school. After you take the PSAT, you can choose to release your testing data and profile to a college search service.
National Merit Scholarship Qualification: If you score in the upper echelons of your state’s test-taking population, your PSAT scores may qualify you for scholarships through the National Merit Scholarship competition. Each fall, the College Board administers the PSAT, which doubles as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT).

Content and Structure of the PSAT

The digital PSAT includes a Reading/Writing section and a Math section. Within each section, students take two modules. They start with the Reading/English section, where the first module contains a mix of easy, medium, and hard questions; each question has an associated difficulty level. Depending on their performance on the questions on the first module, students will advance to an easier or harder second module, which will broadly determine their score range. After a short break, they do the same with Math. Not all students will take the digital, adaptive exam.

The PSAT assesses a range of skills and knowledge areas:

Reading: The Reading test has two passages that include one or two graphics each. Text Complexity questions include passages that span a specified range of text complexity levels from grades 9-10 to postsecondary entry. Words in Context questions measure your understanding of how word choice influences meaning, shapes mood and tone, reflects point of view, or lends precision or interest. Command of Evidence questions test students’ ability to identify the portion of text that serves as the best evidence for the conclusions they reach. You both interpret text and support that interpretation by citing the most relevant textual support. Informational Graphics questions ask students to interpret information conveyed in one or more graphics (tables, graphs, charts, etc.) and to integrate that information with information found in the text.

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Math: The new PSAT has a no-calculator math section, which is worth about a third of your math score. The sections of the math test that do allow a calculator also feature questions that do not require a calculator to solve, where use of a calculator could serve to actually slow down the problem solving process. Four types of questions appear in the Math section: algebra, problem solving and data analysis, advanced math, and additional topics.

Preparing for the PSAT

While many students do not prepare for the PSAT, doing so can provide a significant advantage. In fact, the best way to prepare for the PSAT is to prep for the SAT. Here are some strategies to consider:

Familiarize Yourself with the Test Format: Understand the structure, timing, and question types on the PSAT.
Review Core Concepts: Brush up on key math, reading, and writing skills.
Take Practice Tests: Simulate the test-taking experience with official PSAT practice tests.
Analyze Your Results: Identify your strengths and weaknesses and focus your studying accordingly.
Utilize Resources: Take your PSAT score report and sync it with the Khan Academy to develop a fairly robust self-study plan or use your PSAT scores to give you a sense of where you might start your SAT study journey.

Understanding PSAT Scores and National Merit

While there is a maximum score (1520 - 760 on Reading/Writing, 760 on Math), what’s more important for National Merit purposes is the Selection Index, which is the score the PSAT uses to determine National Merit eligibility. Reading/Writing score: 72. Because the Reading/Writing score is doubled, students with stronger verbal abilities have an advantage. Reading/Writing score: 68. For each section, there will be overlap in scores between the highest scorers in the easier second module and the lowest scorers in the harder second module.

While many 10th graders and nearly all 11th graders will take the PSAT, the exam’s purpose may feel a bit opaque. Students may know that PSAT scores are used to determine whether they qualify for National Merit, but the different levels of recognition and chances of getting an actual scholarship through the program might be confusing. The first level of recognition is National Merit Commendation. Approximately 50,000 PSAT-takers reach this level or beyond, with about two-thirds (34,000 or so) receiving commendation. The cutoff for the Class of 2025 (the rising senior class) is 208, up one point from the previous year. Approximately one-third of Commended students (historically, about one percent of all PSAT-takers) qualify as National Merit Semifinalists.

This level of recognition is determined on a state-by-state basis, meaning the threshold for qualification in Wisconsin is different than it is for students in New York or California or Wyoming. (These state-level thresholds do not apply to students at boarding schools, who are grouped with other boarding school students in their region of the country.) For the Class of 2024, Wisconsin’s Selection Index threshold was 213, which was similar to that of prior years; the threshold score for the Class of 2025 will be released in September. While it is possible the threshold will change slightly from year to year, it has hovered right around 213 for the past several years, so that should be a reasonable target score.

Semifinalists then have the opportunity to become National Merit Finalists and be considered for a scholarship. There are three major requirements for Semifinalists: 1) fill out the National Merit Scholarship Application, 2) maintain consistently high academic performance, and 3) take an SAT or ACT to “confirm” their PSAT performance. Nearly all Semifinalists go on to become Finalists, but less than half of the Finalists will receive one-time National Merit Scholarships of $2,500. More information on program requirements and scholarships can be found in this year’s official PSAT/NMSQT student guide.

So, to sum up: to qualify for National Merit Scholarships, students must 1) clear the Semifinalist Selection Index threshold, 2) submit an application to become a Finalist, and 3) be selected as a Finalist. These levels of recognition (Commended, Semifinalist, Finalist) represent the standard path to National Merit recognition.

Students can attempt to qualify for National Merit if they were unable to take the PSAT (for example, if they were sick on test day) by submitting an SAT score instead.

Additional Opportunities for Recognition

College Board National Recognition Programs allow students who are African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous/Native American, attend school in a rural area or small town, or are first-generation to achieve recognition based on their PSAT (or AP) scores. This link lists the criteria required to attain such recognition.

Is Studying for the PSAT Worthwhile?

For juniors, it may be worthwhile to study for the PSAT. If you took the PSAT as a sophomore and scored well on it (in the 1300 range or above), study for the PSAT for two primary reasons: first, your scores may help qualify you for the National Merit Scholarship competition, as noted above. Secondly, studying for the PSAT will help you prepare for the foundations of the SAT.

Key Takeaways

The PSAT is typically administered in October, with specific dates varying by school district.
Students in grades 8 through 11 may take different versions of the PSAT.
The PSAT serves as valuable practice for the SAT and can qualify students for the National Merit Scholarship program.
Preparation is key to maximizing your PSAT score and unlocking its benefits.

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