PSAT Tutoring
Whether your child is looking to qualify for National Merit recognition or simply to get more comfortable with the PSAT, we're here to help!
The Nurturing Wisdom Approach
Our tutors are skilled at customizing instruction for each student, something that is especially important when students are aiming for such high scores. Their individualized lessons will be based on your child's pre-test scores and their needs in these areas: test taking strategies, academic skills, timing/pacing, and test anxiety.
We want you to feel supported during this process, too! Your tutoring director will walk you through a customized tutoring timeline, update you on progress, alert you to important deadlines, and answer any questions you have along the way.
Getting Started
We recommend that students take a PSAT pre-test early in the summer before their junior year. To get started, you can either contact us to learn more or dive right in with a diagnostic pre-test. Then we’ll help you build a timeline for 1:1 tutoring sessions and additional practice tests.
Contact Us
When you contact Nurturing Wisdom, you'll connect with a tutoring director. They'll answer any questions you have and create a plan that makes the most sense for your child. They can also talk with you about how PSAT tutoring can inform ACT or SAT prep later on.
Diagnostic Pre-Test
We offer several options for taking a practice PSAT pre-test. After the pre-test, we'll provide a score analysis and recommendations for the number of tutoring sessions.
All About the PSAT
The PSAT is an easier version of the SAT. Unlike the SAT, the PSAT is offered only once a year, and it's not a college entrance test. Instead, it's primarily used to qualify high achieving students for National Merit recognition. Some schools have freshmen and sophomores take the PSAT for practice, but those scores cannot be used for National Merit qualification.
What's on the PSAT?
The PSAT is a digital test with two sections:
- Reading & writing
- Math
Each section is broken into two modules:
- The first module includes easy, medium, and hard questions
- The level of difficulty of the second module will be based on how a student performs on the first module
How long is the PSAT?
- Total: 2 hours and 14 minutes for 98 questions
- Reading & Writing: each module is 32 minutes for 27 questions
- Math: each module is 35 minutes for 22 questions
How does scoring work?
- For each section, if a student is given the less difficult second module, they won't have the chance to earn as many points as a student who's given the more difficult second module
- The scaled score range for each section is 160-760
- The total score range is 320-1520 and is the sum of the two section scores
When and where is the PSAT?
Typically, juniors take the PSAT in October at school. Check with your high school for more details. Some schools offer the PSAT to freshmen and sophomores in the fall or spring, but the scores cannot be used for National Merit qualification.
My child is allowed testing accommodations. Will they be able to use them on the PSAT?
Yes, students can request accommodations for the PSAT. We recommend talking with your child's school counselor for more information.
Nurturing Wisdom has successfully worked with hundreds of students approved for testing accommodations. Our tutors are experts in how to support students with accommodations such as extended time, multiple day testing, a reader, a writer, or other alternate test formats.
What do I need to know about the PSAT in relation to National Merit?
The PSAT is the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT), and some students prepare for the PSAT in hopes of earning National Merit recognition as a Semifinalist or Commended Student.
A very high score (top ½ percent in the state) can qualify a student as a National Merit Semifinalist. A Semifinalist may choose to complete an application process to become a Finalist and possibly win scholarship money. Some colleges also give partial or full scholarships to students who achieve either Semifinalist or Finalist recognition.
If a student scores just below the Semifinalist cut-off, they will be named a Commended Student. This is a great honor (and looks fantastic on college applications!), but no additional activities/honors are offered at this level.
