The PSAT/NMSQT® examination is given annually. For fall 2022, the Georgia Department of Education will continue to fund the PSAT/NMSQT® for all Georgia public high school sophomores. Tthe 2022 PSAT/NMSQT® administration date is scheduled Wednesday, October 12 or Thursday, October 25. Note that although College Board does offer a Saturday test date
for the PSAT, the state of Georgia will only pay for tests administered on
October 12 or October 25. For more information, see your school counselor.
What is the benefit of having all 10th grade students take the PSAT/NMSQT®?
The PSAT/NMSQT® is an excellent opportunity for students to understand and practice the requirements of the SAT®, which is a critical reasoning exam used as one criteria for college admissions. Tenth grade students who participate in the October administration of the PSAT/NMSQT® receive a detailed, electronic Student Score Report in December. The Student’s Score Report provides students with a comprehensive skills’ analysis of their performance and gives them a code to access Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/sat) for personalized practice plans. Students may explore careers through Roadtrip Nation and BigFuture, features found under the Popular Tools tab.
Each individual Student’s Score Report identifies specific Advanced Placement® courses in which the student is likely to succeed. In addition, each local school may identify students with potential to succeed in Advanced Placement courses by using AP Potential®, a web-based program based on PSAT/NMSQT® data.
High schools who test at least 25 students in a grade level have access to the College Board’s K-12 Assessment Reporting Portal at https://k12reports.collgeboard.org/login. Selected school personnel may grant faculty access to aggregated-level data. PSAT/NMSQT® Reporting data is available at system, school and student levels. The K-12 Assessment Reporting Portal is a valuable tool for designing school improvement goals, planning tutorial sessions for students, and evaluating the rigor of classroom instruction and assessment.
For more information about the Assessment Reporting Detail or Summary for your school, contact Alison Coker at acoker@doe.k12.ga.us or Martha Smith at masmith@doe.k12.ga.us.
What is the benefit of having 11th grade students take the PSAT?
Students who take the PSAT/NMSQT® as a junior are eligible to be considered for National Merit Scholarships.
Do students who take the PSAT/NMSQT® score higher on the SAT®?
Generally students in Georgia who take the PSAT/NMSQT® as a sophomore score 50 points higher on the SAT® than students not taking the PSAT/NMSQT® as a sophomore. Students in Georgia, who take the PSAT/NMSQT® in grade 10, and again as a junior, average 150 points higher on the SAT® than students not taking the PSAT/NMSQT®.
Students taking advantage of practice opportunities afforded through Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/sat) increased scores by 200 point from their performance on PSAT/NMSQT® to their performance on SAT®. New data show studying for the SAT® for 20 hours on free Official SAT® Practice on Khan Academy is associated with an average score gain of 115 points, nearly double the average score gain compared to students who don't use Khan Academy. Out of nearly 250,000 test takers studied, more than 16,000 gained 200 points or more between the PSAT/NMSQT® and SAT®. More information at https://www.collegeboard.org/releases/2017/average-score-gains-on-redesigned-sat .
Understanding Your PSAT/NMSQT® Data Reports and Using This Data for School Improvement
The data reports and tools that accompany your PSAT/NMSQT® administration can help schools: identify skills to guide instruction and and curriculum planning; connect more students with challenging high school courses and then college; identify students who would likely benefit from the rigor of an Advanced Placement course in your school; and help close the achievement gap in your school community.
