Your Score Explained

There are two ways to get your score report:

1. Ask your school or counselor for a copy of your PSAT/NMSQT score report.
2. For U.S. students only, if you chose to participate in BigFuture^® School by providing your mobile phone number during testing, you can also view your scores on the BigFuture School mobile app.

As always, you may also use a personal College Board account to access your scores.

Score Summary

On your PDF score report, you can view the four scores available from your PSAT/NMSQT assessment—total score, Reading and Writing section score, Math section score, and NMSC Selection Index score.

For each score, the official score report PDF includes:

• All possible scores:
  • 320–1520 for total score
  • 160–760 for section scores
  • 48–228 for the NMSC Selection Index score.
• Your Score Range: This range shows how much your scores would likely vary if you took a different administration of the test under identical conditions. From recent administrations of the PSAT/NMSQT, these ranges are approximately:
  • Total: ± 40 points
  • Section: ± 30 points
• The All Tester Percentile (formally called the "User Percentile") of each score. For example, if a student's score is in the 70th percentile, 70% of a comparison group achieved scores at or below that student's score.
  • All Tester Percentiles are based on the actual scores of the past 3 cohorts of students in their grade who took the PSAT/NMSQT. The All Tester Percentiles for the first digital administrations in 2023–24 are reported on tests completed anywhere in the world.

Knowledge and Skills

In the Knowledge and Skills section of the PDF score report, you'll see a graphic that shows your performance on each of the eight content areas measured on the PSAT/NMSQT. There are four content areas in Reading and Writing, and four in Math.

For each content area, you'll see:

• The approximate number of questions in the content area.
• The percentage of the section covered by that area (e.g., 12–14 questions would be about 26% of the Reading and Writing section).
• A visual indication of how you performed in each content area.

You can use this section to identify content areas you may want to focus on to practice and improve.

Career Snapshot

If you live in the United States, you'll also see a section on the PDF score report that provides a snapshot of growing careers in your state. This snapshot includes the following information:

• The median yearly income of each career.
• The expected growth rate for new job openings in your state over the next five years.
• The most common education level for people in that career.

This list might include a career you're curious about—or maybe none of the options feel like a great fit. It's okay! The careers listed are not the only jobs available in your state or the only jobs you can consider for yourself.

This snapshot does not currently reflect your performance on the PSAT/NMSQT. However, if you're thinking about different paths to take after high school, you can explore personalized options that match your interests and skills at bigfuture.org/career-search.

NMSC Selection Index Score

National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) uses NMSC Selection Index scores to screen students who enter its scholarship programs. Your score is calculated by doubling your Reading and Writing Score, adding it to your Math score, then dividing that sum by 10.

After reviewing your Selection Index score on page 1 of the PDF, you can go to page 2 to read more information about your eligibility for the National Merit^® Scholarship Program and how scholarship recipients are determined by NMSC.

BigFuture School

If you live in the U.S. and provided a mobile phone number when you took the PSAT/NMSQT, you can also download the BigFuture School mobile app and you'll get a text message when your scores are available to view.

In the app, you'll see all of the same information available on the score report PDF. You'll also have access to additional information, including:

• More detailed score insights and percentile data
• Resources about scholarships, financial aid, and planning for college or careers
• Connections—Eligible students may also have the option to hear from nonprofit college and scholarship programs by opting in to this feature.

Accessing Scores Online

If you already have a personal College Board account, you can also access this same information online to view questions associated to each skill in your score report, as well as section benchmarks that show your readiness for the SAT and resources to help you analyze which skills to focus on.