PSAT v SAT
Yes indeed! The PSAT and the SAT are in the EXACT same format. In fact, the whole SAT Suite (SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, PSAT 8/9) has the same format.
After a brief start-up at the test center, students begin with the first Verbal module with a mix of 27 easy, medium, and hard questions. After the first Verbal module, students move directly to the second Verbal module (also 27 questions) which adapts its difficulty to the student’s achievement on the first module. The adaptive nature of the test precisely targets the student’s achievement on the Verbal section.
After a 10-minute break, students start the first Math module (22 questions) which works the same way: students have a mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. Then, the second Math module (also 22 questions) adapts its difficulty level to the student’s achievement on the first module.
Each Verbal and Math module has two experimental questions which are not counted for scoring purposes; they are used to evaluate questions for future tests.
Each verbal section groups questions in categories: vocabulary, reading analysis (traditional reading comprehension), grammar, and rhetorical analysis.
Each math section covers Algebra I & II, Data Analysis, and Geometry. Questions on each Math module move from easy to hard. A fourth of the Math questions are “grid-ins” and are mixed in with the multiple-choice questions. Students will have access to built-in Desmos calculator during both Math modules; using it is a game-changer!
