The PSAT, formally known as the  Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT)​, is a standardized test administered by the College Board. It is primarily designed for 10th and 11th graders.

Note: Calculators are permitted for the entire Math section (built-in tool or bring your own).  List of acceptable calculators for PSAT. 

1. National Merit Scholarship:
This is the most important factor for parents and students to consider:

• PSAT/NMSQT: Only the test taken in Grade 11 qualifies a student for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Even a perfect score in Grade 10 will not count toward scholarship eligibility.
• PSAT 10 & 8/9: These are strictly for academic practice and progress monitoring; they do not qualify students for the National Merit program.

2. Difficulty & Content
While all three tests are now digital and share the same duration, the difficulty increases in "levels":

• PSAT 8/9: Covers foundational content to ensure students have the basic academic skills needed for high school.
• PSAT 10 & PSAT/NMSQT: These two tests are identical in content. They are more challenging than the PSAT 8/9, featuring advanced algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and more complex reading passages. They serve as a true "practice SAT."

3. Score Scales
The College Board uses different score ranges to reflect academic growth:

• The PSAT 8/9 maxes out at 1440 because students at this level haven't yet covered all the advanced material found on the SAT.
• The PSAT 10 / NMSQT maxes out at 1520.
• The SAT maxes out at 1600.

This design uses Vertical Scaling, meaning a score of 1200 on the PSAT 10 indicates that the student would likely score around 1200 on the SAT if taken on the same day. ​Your scaled score is compared to the scores of other test-takers worldwide to determine your percentile ranking.