CruxStudy › PSAT/NMSQT prep
The PSAT/NMSQT runs on the same adaptive engine as the digital SAT, which means preparing for one is preparing for the other. Twelve full-length practice exams scored 320 to 1520, with the Selection Index calculated for you.
Two things at once, and they matter to different people. For juniors it is the National Merit Scholarship qualifying test. For everyone else it is the most realistic early read available on where an SAT score currently sits, taken under conditions close enough to the real thing to be worth trusting.
| Section | Questions | Time | What it asks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading & Writing | 2 modules × 27 | 32 min each | Identical question types to the SAT. |
| Math | 2 modules × 22 | 35 min each | The same content areas as the SAT, with a slightly gentler ceiling. |
| Total | 98 questions | 2 h 14 min | Usually given during a school day. |
National Merit does not use your 320 to 1520 total. It uses the Selection Index:
(2 × Reading and Writing score + Math score) ÷ 10
That runs from 48 to 228, and the doubling is the part most students miss. A point of Reading and Writing is worth two points of Math for scholarship purposes. If you are near a cutoff and choosing where to spend a limited number of study hours, that arithmetic should decide it for you.
Cutoffs are set per state and move every year, so treat any number you read online as a rough guide rather than a target. CruxStudy shows your Selection Index alongside your score on every PSAT practice report.
Take a full-length PSAT form and get the score, the index and a content-area breakdown at the end.
Take a PSAT practice test Start with the 16-question diagnosticTwo times your Reading and Writing score, plus your Math score, divided by ten, giving a number from 48 to 228. National Merit uses that index rather than your 320 to 1520 total, which means Reading and Writing counts double for scholarship purposes.
No. Colleges do not see your PSAT score. It matters for National Merit recognition if you are a junior, and it is the most realistic early read you will get on where your SAT score currently sits.
Nearly. Same digital adaptive engine, same question types, same section structure and timing. The PSAT scores 320 to 1520 instead of 400 to 1600 and its ceiling is slightly gentler, so PSAT practice is genuine SAT practice.
Only the one you take in eleventh grade. Sophomore and younger sittings are practice and do not qualify you, which is exactly why they are worth using as a free rehearsal.
Most of it is, permanently and with no account: the arcade, practice by skill, the diagnostic, all four calculators, every blog article, the mini test, and the starter lessons covering how your exam works, both strategy lessons and the opening lesson of every content area. Membership at $9.99 a month adds the rest of the lesson library, the full-length adaptive exams, synced progress, your full score history, printable reports and a parent dashboard.
CruxStudy is a college admission test prep program by CruxSci. Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the College Board or National Merit Scholarship Corporation. PSAT/NMSQT and SAT are trademarks of the College Board.