How to Compare PSAT Results to a Mock ACT
Have you reviewed your PSAT results and now want to know which way forward?
The standard advice out there is to compare scores on the ACT / SAT concordance chart and go with whichever score you got that was higher. Simple, straightforward, and ultimately a bit misguided.
Why? Because the PSAT is significantly easier than the SAT, so you will likely choose the SAT if you follow the score concordance chart and your “gut” feeling about the test. I like to think of the PSAT as a brilliant marketing ploy on behalf of the CollegeBoard: it's easier than the SAT and ACT so it provides a false confidence boost, and on top of that, the SAT generally disguises wrong answers better than the ACT does, so students often feel they do better on the SAT than they actually do to start with. Combine those two factors, and you end up with a mass majority of students who choose the SAT for the wrong reasons.
That being said, there are still some good reasons for choosing the SAT. We've dropped in a few questions for you to consider while you think it through, and we are open to any questions you have as you look through your results. If you still land on the SAT after these questions, that is great! Many of our students do. But we want you to choose your test for the right reasons.
Please ask yourself the following questions:
Which test did you like more, and why?
Was it the PSAT? Was it because it felt easier and your score was better?
Or was it for a different reason, for example that the question style was more interesting to you? Or that you liked that there was more time per question for more difficult questions that really made you think (in a good way)?
What were your gaps in each test, and how frequent were those gaps?
If they were question types that grouped up, so that you could theoretically work on a smaller group of items to improve your score, that would be easier. If of course those gaps were very scattered amongst a lot of topics, or even concentrated in a few very difficult-to-improve concepts, that would likely be harder.
Consider which test you would find more valuable to improve upon.
Were the questions you missed ones you think you would be asked in your AP classes, in college, or in your profession? Of course no preparedness test is going to mirror what you’ll face next in your academic career, but one test may be closer than the other. If it's closer, not only will it be more relevant and prepare you better, you'll also be more motivated because of the similarity and learn it faster.
Ask yourself again, which test did you like more, and why?
Sometimes it’s good to ask this question twice, after you’ve run through the other questions, in case the answer has changed.
And of course, it can be valuable to go back to that concordance chart to see how far apart those two scores are, as well as to speak with your tutor to make sure that they see something similar to what you’re seeing, or if they see some opportunity you might not see. Please contact us if you would like to discuss!
