PSAT-style practice for the PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT

PSAT practice tests

The PSAT tests are College Board's tests before the SAT, in the same digital shape: the PSAT 8/9 for Grades 8 and 9, the PSAT 10 in the spring of Grade 10, and the PSAT/NMSQT in the fall of Grades 10 and 11, which in Grade 11 is also the National Merit Scholarship qualifying test. Each has Reading and Writing (54 questions in 64 minutes) and Math (44 questions in 70 minutes), each section in two modules, the second chosen by how the first went.

Our PSAT-style practice follows each test's shape and math blueprint: the PSAT 8/9 leans on algebra and data with no trigonometry, and the PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 add more advanced math and right triangle trigonometry. Reading and Writing has short passages with one question each, on words, evidence, grammar and revising. The report shows the number right in each content domain, never a predicted score or Selection Index.

Start free practice See the price

A look at the test

Questions in the PSAT style

Written by us in the style of the published PSAT question types.

PSAT 8/9 Math: a system of equations
x + y = 8
x − y = 2
If (x, y) is the solution to the system of equations above, what is the value of y?
1. A2
2. B5
3. C3
4. D8
Show the answer and whyHide the answer
AnswerC3
1. Add the two equations
  2x = 10.
2. x = 5.
3. y = 3.
4. Final answer
  3
Remember
Add or subtract the equations to remove a variable, or substitute one into the other.
PSAT/NMSQT Math: right triangles
In a right triangle, one angle measures 30° and the hypotenuse has length 18. What is the length of the leg opposite the 60° angle?
1. A9
2. B27
3. C9√3
4. D9√2
Show the answer and whyHide the answer
AnswerC9√3
1. Short leg
  18 ÷ 2 = 9.
2. Long leg
  9√3.
3. Final answer
  9√3
Remember
a² + b² = c², with c the hypotenuse.
Reading and Writing: punctuation
Monarch migration
Monarch butterflies that hatch in late summer do not breed right ______ they fly thousands of kilometers south to mountain forests in central Mexico, where they cluster on fir trees to spend the winter.
Which choice completes the text so that it follows the conventions of Standard English?
1. Aaway, instead,
2. Baway; instead
3. Caway instead,
4. Daway; instead,
Show the answer and whyHide the answer
AnswerDaway; instead,
1. Find where each clause starts and ends around the blank.
2. Pick the punctuation that joins or separates them correctly.
3. Final answer
  away; instead,
Remember
Find the clauses around the blank.
Reading and Writing: using notes
Ash glazes
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes about an artist:
• Mira Okafor is a ceramic artist.
• She makes glazes from ash she collects from her own wood stove.
• Ash glazes have been used in East Asia for more than 2,000 years.
• Each batch of ash produces slightly different colors.
• Okafor says she likes not knowing exactly how a pot will look.
The student wants to explain why the colors of Okafor's pots vary. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
1. AOkafor, a ceramic artist, collects the ash for her glazes from her own wood stove.
2. BBecause each batch of ash produces slightly different colors, Okafor's glazes vary from pot to pot.
3. CGlazes made from ash, like the ones Okafor makes, have been used in East Asia for more than 2,000 years.
4. DOkafor says that she enjoys not knowing exactly how each of her pots will look.
Show the answer and whyHide the answer
AnswerBBecause each batch of ash produces slightly different colors, Okafor's glazes vary from pot to pot.
1. Find the goal the question names.
2. Pick the sentence that meets that goal using only the notes, even if other choices are true.
3. Final answer
  Because each batch of ash produces slightly different colors, Okafor's glazes vary from pot to pot.
Remember
Read the goal in the question first, then the choices.

The test

The PSAT tests

Test	Grades	Questions	Time	Math blueprint
PSAT 8/9	Grades 8 and 9	54 + 44	64 + 70 min	Algebra about 42.5%, Advanced Math about 20%, Problem-Solving and Data Analysis about 25%, Geometry about 12.5%.
PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10	Grades 10 and 11	54 + 44	64 + 70 min	Algebra about 35%, Advanced Math about 32.5%, Problem-Solving and Data Analysis about 20%, Geometry and Trigonometry about 12.5%.

The sections, lengths, times, the two-module design and each content domain's share of the questions are College Board's published figures. How the modules are put together and where the cut between them lies are not published, so ours are our estimate. Every passage and question is written by us.

By grade

Free practice for each grade

Pricing

Three free practice tests. Unlimited tests and answers are US$99.

A free account includes 3 practice tests. A plan opens unlimited tests and shows your child what they got right, the right answers and how to reach them, on every SAT-style and PSAT-style practice test. Practicing for more than one kind of test? The US bundle covers them all for US$99.

SAT and PSAT packLaunch price

US$99

for 6 months

Which questions your child got right, after every practice test
The right answer to every question
A worked solution for every question, step by step
SAT-style Reading and Writing and Math, both modules, Grades 10 to 12
PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10-style practice for Grades 10 and 11, and PSAT 8/9-style for Grades 8 and 9
Results by content domain after every section

Every US testLaunch price

US$99

for 6 months

Everything in every US pack, in one payment
CogAT, NNAT, OLSAT and NGAT, for gifted and talented programs
SCAT-style practice for the CTY talent search, Grades 2 to 9
InView-style practice for gifted screening, Grades 2 to 12
Matrices-style and spatial reasoning practice
ISEE and SSAT, for private school entry
HSPT and TACHS, for Catholic high school entry
Hunter-style practice, for Hunter College High School
Math contest practice, Grades 1 to 8
MAP Growth practice, by grade and subject
i-Ready-style Math and Reading, Kindergarten to Grade 8
Early reading practice, Kindergarten to Grade 3
SHSAT practice for Grades 8 and 9, English and math
Iowa practice for Grades 3 to 8, all five Core tests
TerraNova, Stanford 10 and CTP-style practice for Grades 3 to 8
ACT-style English, Math, Reading and Science for Grades 10 to 12
SAT-style and PSAT-style practice, Grades 8 to 12, Reading and Writing and Math
State test practice: STAAR-style and CAASPP-style math and reading, Grades 3 to 8

One payment in US dollars for 6 months of access. No auto-renewal: when the 6 months end, access stops unless you buy again.

Questions

What parents ask

Are these real PSAT questions?: No. We write our own passages and questions in the shape of the published test: the same sections, lengths, times and content domains. College Board's own practice tests in its Bluebook app are the place to see real screens.
Does it adapt like the real test?: Yes, by module, as the real test does. Each section is two modules. How your child does on the first module decides whether the second is easier or harder. Each section also comes as a fixed Practice test whose second module is the harder one.
How is it different from the real test?: We serve one question at a time, and an answer is final once your child presses Next; on the real test a student can move around inside a module and mark questions to come back to. We also have no unscored pretest questions: every question counts. A calculator is allowed on every math question, as on the real test, but we do not provide the built-in graphing calculator or a reference sheet.
Does a practice result predict my child's PSAT score?: No. A PSAT score comes from College Board's own questions and scoring, which only the real test can give, so we never show a predicted score or anything on the real scale. The report shows the number right in each content domain and which questions to go back over.
Is it free?: A free account includes 3 practice tests. A plan opens unlimited PSAT-style tests. The SAT and PSAT pack (US$99 for six months) shows which questions were right, the right answers and a worked solution or explanation for each, for every SAT-style and PSAT-style section. The US bundle (US$99) covers every US test we offer.
Which grade should my child choose?: The grade your child is in. Grades 8 and 9 practice the PSAT 8/9. Grades 10 and 11 practice the PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10, which share one shape and math blueprint.

SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10 and PSAT 8/9 are trademarks registered by College Board, which is not affiliated with and does not endorse Scholar Tests. Our SAT-style and PSAT-style questions and passages are written by us in the shape of the published test; they are not real SAT or PSAT questions, and a practice result is not an SAT or PSAT score.