The New PSAT: Coming Soon(er)
The PSAT is also undergoing changes, and these will take
effect even earlier than the changes to the SAT. The first new SAT
will be given in March 2005, whereas the first new PSAT will be
given in October 2004. Some of the changes coming to the new PSAT
are identical to those for the new SAT. Some are not. Here’s a summary:
- The Verbal section is renamed “Critical
Reading.” It is the same length in time as the Verbal in the current
PSAT (50 minutes divided into two 25-minute sections). Analogies
are eliminated and short reading comprehension questions added.
- The length of the Math section is unchanged—50 minutes
divided into two 25-minute sections. Quantitative Comparison questions
are cut, and two additional grid-in questions are added. (Don’t
worry if you don’t know what a “grid-in” is; we cover that later.)
The Math section includes some new and more difficult material.
- The PSAT already has a Writing section, so there
isn’t such a big change there. There is one 30-minute section. The
new PSAT features multiple-choice questions in the Writing section,
just like the old PSAT. The new PSAT, however, does not contain
a scored essay, though it gives high schools the option of letting
students write an essay for practice.
The long and short of it is that you can definitely use
this book to prepare for the PSAT. Just ignore the essay part of
the Writing section.
Many important scholarships, including the National Merit
Scholarships, use PSAT scores as a way to evaluate students. That
means the PSAT can be a very important part of your college application.
If you’re interested in finding out more about possible scholarships
in general, or the National Merit Scholarship in particular, you
should talk to your high school counselor.
