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The New PSAT: Coming Soon(er)
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.
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