What’s a Good PSAT Score in 2022?

Did you just get your PSAT score back, and are you wondering what it means because it’s out of 1520 points while the SAT is out of 1600 points, yet the College Board is telling you that it’s the same as you would score on the SAT? If that’s you, we get it, and we’re going to try and talk in this blog about what we’ve done to try to demystify this process.

We’ve created a master chart that lines up all of the PSAT scores according to the national percentile of juniors and sophomores with the SAT score ranges. So you have more of a predictive feel for what your PSAT score means if you do an average amount of prep for someone who is scoring at your level, and if you continue that upward trend, what you can expect from your SAT score.

If you are below where you want to be, do not fret. You can improve your score even beyond the little bump that we see between the PSAT score and the SAT score. You need to think about really taking an aggressive stance towards these tests and getting your prep game on. Whoever you are, you can do this, and we’re here to tell you that. Our point is that if you have the willpower to do this and you want to make it happen, it doesn’t matter who you are or what resources you have.

Moving on to the PSAT, a decent score means you’re reaching a benchmark. Now this is where we’re going to stop and say: yes, the SAT is a means to an end of getting into college or getting scholarships, but it’s also a benchmark for college readiness. If you have a benchmark score, you have a ¾ chance of surviving freshman year without flunking classes. This matters because the SAT is not just a made-up pipe dream that people who hate standardized tests like to pick on. Tests do matter, and you take them all the time in school, and they measure things like your ability to read, your basic math skills, etc. There are real skills being tested on this test, especially when it comes to the idea of a baseline. So if you are not at the baseline, we really encourage you to put in the work because you are potentially behind on critical skills that are going to help you succeed in college.

So what does that translate to? Around the 50th percentile nationally on the SAT, which translates to about the 53rd to the 54th percentile for juniors on the PSAT, is a 970, or the 48th percentile for sophomores, which is a 910. If you’re at that benchmark point, or a little bit above it, you’re putting yourself on track to go to a state university, a regional university, or potentially a ranked four-year university. Colleges in this score range include Louisiana Tech University, the University of Massachusetts Boston, Northern Arizona University, University of Toledo, Old Dominion, Central Michigan University, University of West Florida, Kent State, Wichita State University, University of Nevada Las Vegas, University of South Alabama, Texas State University, Rocky Mountain College, Indiana State University, and Lewis-Clark State College. So those are some colleges that, if you’re planning to submit scores to, you might find luck. And this is just a sampling; there are many more universities in the United States that will accept a score in this range, and you can always look up the common dataset and the name of your school to see what their median score ranges are for acceptance on the SAT or the ACT.

Next on our list is a good PSAT score. For a good score on the PSAT, we’re looking for 1110–1210 for a junior or 1070–1170 for a sophomore. And this is going to put you in a range for a target score of 1190–1300 on the SAT. Again, this is if you do an average amount of preparation and make an average amount of improvement in your classes. Schools in this range are those that typically have a 40–75% admit rate and include University of Denver, University of Colorado Boulder, Marquette University, Indian University, Texas A&M, University of South Carolina, University of Arizona, University of Iowa, Temple University, and University of Oregon. There are also plenty of other schools in this score range that are going to be smaller, like Michigan State University, University of New Hampshire, and North Dakota State University. So that’s kind of where you can get in with a good PSAT score, and these numbers might fluctuate in the years that come after this first test-optional year, but it kind of gives you a ballpark of how important tests are for some of these schools. For example, at Texas A&M, we’re seeing a majority of students submitting scores, so that’s a school where tests are more important. For Michigan State, about half of students are submitting scores, so it’s probably important there, especially if you’re in a competitive major. But at North Dakota State, for example, only 6% of students are submitting scores, so it might not really matter there.

A very good PSAT score would be around 1210–1300 for juniors and 1180–1270 for sophomores. That puts you on track for about 1300–1380 on the SAT. A very good score on the PSAT is going to help you get into some of the top 100 ranked colleges and universities, which have moderately competitive admissions. These include University of Miami, North Carolina State University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Georgia, Pepperdine University, Ohio State University, University of Washington, University of Connecticut, Drexel University, Purdue University, University of Delaware, and Penn State University. There are some big universities here, but for some colleges, you’re going to have very different admit rates for the Letters of Arts & Sciences versus Engineering. So, take some of this with a grain of salt, but these are the kind of schools that you’re potentially on track to get into if you got a PSAT score in this range. 

If you’re scoring above a 99th percentile score, you are cued up to potentially be a National Merit Scholar. For the PSAT, that means you’re above a 1430, whether you’re a junior or a sophomore. If you’re not above 1430—if you’re at 1350, for example—it doesn’t mean that National Merit is out of reach; it just means that you’re going to have to put in above-average effort in preparing. Schools that you want to take a look at if you’re in this range include MIT, NYU, Harvard University, Yale University, Dartmouth College, Rice University, University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, Stanford University, Harvey Mudd College, Carnegie Mellon University, Brown University, Princeton University, Northwestern University, Williams College, Cornell University, and Amherst College, in that order. These are schools looking for 1500+ average SAT scores. And for that National Merit, we really recommend that you study. If you’re at around 1450, you’re not there yet, but with the right preparation, you can get there.

If you’re not happy with your PSAT scores, the best thing to do is prepare. Again, Brooke has seen students raise their scores by hundreds of points. Is it easier to do it with a tutor? Sure. But it’s still possible to do it without one. If you have the ambition, drive, and discipline, you can raise your score, get to where you want to be, and seize the opportunities that are available to you.

National percentile comparison across PSAT / SAT/ ACT scores

User percentile comparison across PSAT / SAT/ ACT scores

What’s a good PSAT score school comparison