In this article, you’ll learn about College Board’s SAT Suite of Assessments. We’ll explore who takes these exams, what they cover, how they’re the same and how they differ, who signs you up for them, and how colleges use (or don’t use) their scores.
Note that this article provides a high-level overview. For more information, here are some resources from College Board:
- College Board’s blog post about the differences among the SAT and PSAT-related assessments
- College Board’s SAT Suite hub for students and parents
- College Board’s SAT Suite hub for educators
###What are the SAT and PSAT-related assessments?
College Board’s SAT Suite of Assessments is an integrated system of four tests:
- PSAT 8/9
- PSAT 10
- PSAT/NMSQT (AKA the “Preliminary SAT”/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test)
- SAT
Together, these tests form a pathway that helps students build and measure college and career readiness skills over time. Each consists of a Reading and Writing section and a Math section, and they all test the same reading, writing, and math skills in a way that makes sense for different grade levels.
###Who takes each test—and why?
1) PSAT 8/9
- Who: Usually 8th and 9th graders.
- Why: Helps students and their schools see where they are in terms of reading, writing, and math skills early in high school (or late middle school), serving as a baseline to measure students’ progress as they move through high school; gives students early feedback and practice for future standardized tests.
2) PSAT 10
- Who: Usually 10th graders.
- Why: Provides a check-in on the same reading, writing, and math skills for students and their schools, helps students practice for the PSAT/NMSQT and SAT, and gives students early feedback on their areas of strength and areas where they may need additional practice before taking the PSAT/NMSQT.
3) PSAT/NMSQT
- Who: Usually first-semester 11th graders.
- Why: Qualifies 11th graders for the National Merit Scholarship Program (in the US), helps students practice for the SAT, and helps students identify areas of strength and areas where they may need additional practice before taking the SAT.
4) SAT
- Who: Usually second-semester 11th graders, rising 12th graders (summer before 12th grade), or first-semester 12th graders.
- Why: Used for college and university admissions, as well as scholarships and placement decisions; also used by some states and school districts as a high school graduation requirement and/or to assess students’ college and career readiness.
Note that colleges and universities often consider your SAT score as one piece of your application, alongside your GPA, extracurriculars, essays, and letters of recommendation.
###Who signs you up, and who administers these tests?
PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, and PSAT/NMSQT:
- These tests are typically administered by your school during official testing windows set by College Board.
- Your school usually registers you. If you’re homeschooled or attend a school that doesn’t offer the tests, you can contact local schools or educational centers to arrange testing.
SAT:
- You can register online through the College Board if you’re taking it independently at an authorized test center.
- Some schools or districts may also host School Day administrations of the SAT, in which case your school will register you automatically.
Contact your school to find out which tests they administer and when.
###What content does each test cover? How do the difficulty levels differ?
All four tests in the SAT Suite of Assessments measure the same skills, but the breadth and depth of the questions vary by test level. Both the Reading and Writing section and the Math section keep pace with student progress, matching the scope and difficulty of work in the classroom.
- The Reading and Writing section: You’ll see questions testing comprehension of passages, grammar, vocabulary in context, and effective language use.
- The Math section: You’ll encounter questions on algebra, problem-solving and data analysis, geometry, and some advanced math topics.
Here’s an overview of how the difficulty of each section changes across the tests:
- PSAT 8/9: The PSAT 8/9 is designed to be appropriately challenging for students in 8th and 9th grade, focusing on fundamental skills.
- PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT: Content-wise, the PSAT 10 and the PSAT/NMSQT are identical! In the Reading and Writing section, the passages are more complex than the PSAT 8/9, and the questions are more challenging. In the Math section, there are more advanced concepts and greater difficulty, compared to the PSAT 8/9. Again, the only differences between the PSAT 10 and the PSAT/NMSQT are in their purpose and target test-taker: the PSAT 10 is meant for 10th graders, and the PSAT/NMSQT is targeted toward 11th graders preparing for the SAT.
- SAT: The SAT is basically the same test as the PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10, but with more advanced topics and higher-level reading passages, reflecting the readiness level expected of 11th and 12th graders about to apply to college.
For more information about content and difficulty, head to College Board’s SAT Suite of Assessments content alignment and specifications page and College Board’s understanding scores and benchmarks page.
###What does this mean for test prep for the PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT?
From a test prep perspective, the PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT should be thought of as basically the same test. Which is to say, if you’re preparing for the PSAT/NMSQT, you should work your way through Khan Academy’s SAT courses and attempt to master all the skills at every level, just like you will when you’re preparing for the SAT! This is because the difficulty of the PSAT/NMSQT is pretty close to the difficulty level of the SAT; they aren’t different enough to merit prepping for the PSAT/NMSQT at a lower level. The more you master the skills in our SAT courses—working your way up from Foundations, to Medium, to Advanced—the better you’ll do on both the PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT.
The main difference in your prep strategy will be which practice tests you take in College Board’s Bluebook app. The Bluebook app contains practice tests for all four tests. If you’re preparing for the PSAT/NMSQT, you should take the two PSAT/NMSQT practice tests in Bluebook: ideally, take one right before you start prepping, and take the other right before you take the real PSAT/NMSQT (after you’re done prepping). If you’re preparing for the SAT, you should take the SAT practice tests in Bluebook at regular intervals throughout your test prep journey.
###Which scores will colleges see?
PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, and PSAT/NMSQT scores generally are not part of the college application process. Colleges do not request or use these scores in admissions decisions.
SAT scores are visible to colleges if you choose to send them. You’re in control of which SAT scores to send—and which test administrations to include—when you apply to colleges. Check out our separate article about SAT scores for a detailed breakdown of how SAT scoring works and how colleges may consider them.
In short, your PSAT scores provide practice and feedback for you, your school, and scholarship organizations (in the case of PSAT/NMSQT), while your SAT score is the one that colleges typically see.
###Next steps
Now that you know how each test in the SAT Suite of Assessments works, you can start planning your test prep journey. Khan Academy’s SAT Reading and Writing course and Khan Academy's SAT Math course include:
- Article and video lessons breaking down the Reading and Writing and Math skills and question types across the tests.
- Practice exercises to improve your performance on those specific skills and question types across the tests.
- Guidance on how to build a study schedule and how to use College Board’s practice tests and Khan Academy’s courses effectively.
By understanding these assessments and taking advantage of the resources here on Khan Academy, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your best possible performance and feeling confident on test day.
Again, for more information, here are some resources from College Board:
- College Board’s blog post about the differences among the SAT and PSAT-related assessments
- College Board’s SAT Suite hub for students and parents
- College Board’s SAT Suite hub for educators
Good luck on your test prep journey!