Introducing the Digital PSAT/NMSQT

PSAT/NMSQT is being offered digitally starting in fall 2023. While the transition to digital will bring a number of student and educator friendly changes, many important features of the SAT and PSAT-related assessments have stayed the same. That said, we’re not simply creating a digital version of the current paper and pencil tests—we’re taking full advantage of what digital testing makes possible. The digital PSAT/NMSQT will be easier to take, more secure, and more relevant. Learn more at psat.org.

What's Staying the Same?

The digital SAT Suite, including the PSAT/NMSQT, continues to measure the skills and knowledge that students like you are learning in school and that matter most for college and career readiness. The Suite continues to be scored on the same score scale as the paper and pencil tests they are replacing (for example, the PSAT/NMSQT will continue to be scored on a 320—1520 point scale).

The two sections of the digital PSAT/NMSQT—(1) Reading and Writing and (2) Math— measure largely similar knowledge and skills as their paper and pencil predecessors, including:

• Use of reading/writing passages that come from different subject areas and vary in difficulty level.
• Emphasis on showing command of evidence, both textual and quantitative.
• Emphasis on high-utility words and phrases in context.
• Focus on revising texts to improve the effectiveness of written expression, and meet specific rhetorical goals.
• Measurement of ability to edit texts to follow core conventions of Standard English sentence structure, usage, and punctuation.
• Continued focus on the math that matters most for college and career readiness and success.
• Math problems in (and out of) context.
• Use of both multiple-choice and student-produced response question formats in the Math section.

What's Changing?

• The digital PSAT/NMSQT is substantially shorter than its paper and pencil predecessor—lasting 2 hours and 14 minutes instead of almost 3 hours.
• You'll have more time, on average, to answer each question, meaning that, more so than ever before, the digital PSAT/NMSQT measures your skills and knowledge, not test-taking speed.
• There will be shorter reading passages and a built-in calculator that can be used on the entire Math section.

How the PSAT/NMSQT Is Organized

The digital SAT Suite of Assessments uses multistage adaptive testing. Each test section (Reading and Writing, Math) is divided into two equal-length, separately timed parts, called modules. Students answer a set of questions in the first module before moving on to the next. The questions that students are given in the second module depend on how they performed on the first module.

This type of adaptive testing allows for a much shorter, but just as reliable, assessment that delivers accurate scores more efficiently.

The test breaks down like this:

The PSAT/NMSQT follows the same timing as all other tests in the digital SAT Suite.

You must complete all sections of the test based on your approved timing, and get to the Congratulations screen to confirm that your answers were submitted. If you leave before dismissal, your test may be considered incomplete and your scores may be ineligible for scholarship consideration or may be subject to cancellation.