What's a Good PSAT Score in 2020 ?

Posted byBy Brooke Hanson |December 7, 2020January 2, 2021

Did you just get your PSAT score back and are you wondering what this means for you?

First, it’s important to remember, for most students, the PSAT is JUST PRACTICE! You won’t submit this score to any colleges. The tests only really matters for students scoring in the top 2-3% who may qualify for awards or scholarships from it.

For everyone, though, the PSAT is a great way to gauge your potential performance on the SAT. Evaluating your PSAT score can also help you in making a prep plan. When you understand your performance, you can figure out how much time to commit to get the SAT or ACT score you really want!

Admittedly, PSAT scoring can be a bit confusing. While the PSAT is out of 1520, the SAT is out of 1600! How do the two compare? And what about the ACT?

To answer those questions, I’ve compiled the chart below that matches the percentile from junior year PSAT takers to SAT and ACT users so you can get a predictive idea of what your PSAT score means. Remember, SAT and ACT users are more likely to be further along in their studies and to have prepped more than PSAT takers. Still, if you’re not where you want to be, now is the time to get some perspective and plan ahead!

In this blog, we’ll go in depth on what a good score looks like. And if you’re not plugged in yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel!

We cover every aspect of college admissions and want to help you achieve your college dreams, yo!

Here’s a quick breakdown of what makes a good PSAT score:

DECENT PSAT SCORE:

A decent score meets the benchmark for the College Board: 75% chance you won’t flunk any classes freshman year of college. That lands typically around the 50th percentile on these tests. For the PSAT that’s a 970 for juniors (510 Math / 460 Verbal) and a 910 for sophom*ores (480 Math / 430 Verbal). This kind of a score will likely translate to an SAT score that will get you into some four year colleges.

A GOOD PSAT SCORE:

A good score on the PSAT would equate to around a 1190-1200 on the SAT. This score is enough to get you into some nationally recognized state universities with moderately competitive admissions. These schools likely have a 40-70% rate of applicants accepted (ballpark for admissions percentages). This equates to approximately the 75th percentile on the PSAT: 1150 for juniors or a 1050 for sophom*ores.

A VERY GOOD PSAT SCORE:

A very good score on the PSAT would equate to around a 1400 on the SAT– enough to get you into some top 50 ranked or competitive admissions schools. These schools most likely have admission rates in the 20-40% range. This is about the 95th percentile, or a 1360 on the PSAT for juniors or 1250 for sophom*ores.

AN EXCELLENT SCORE:

An excellent PSAT score represents the top 1% of test takers, commensurate with at least a 1500-1550 SAT score. On the PSAT this would be between a 1460-1520 as a junior or 1370-1520 as a sophom*ore. The upper range of this score band is enough to complete a strong application to top 10 or top 20 schools, with admission rates below 20%. Still, these top colleges are extremely competitive. Remember, an excellent test score is only one component of your application.

If you’re not happy with your PSAT score, the best thing to do now is PREP! SupertutorTV has complete video based prep solutions from a perfect scoring tutor for both the SAT and ACT at SupertutorTV.com. And check out our YouTube Channel to keep up with all the related news and tips for college readiness!

How do ACT, SAT and PSAT scores compare?

Check out this concordance table to see the correlation in the different scoring systems, updated December 2018. Note that for ACT these scores are equivalent, but the PSAT/SAT and ACT are two completely different test types. Though the PSAT is a good predictor of your SAT score, it’s not necessarily a good predictor of your ACT score. You’ll need to take a practice ACT test at home or the PreACT for 10th graders if you’d like to estimate that. You can then compare that ACT score to your PSAT score using this chart to see if might have a natural advantage on one test or the other.

Scores			Percentiles
ACT Score	SAT Score	PSAT Score	SAT & 11th Gr PSAT User Percentiles**	PSAT 10th Gr Users
36	1600	1520	99+	99+
36*	1590*	1520	99+	99+
36	1580	1510	99+	99+
36	1570	1510	99+	99+
35	1560	1500	99+	99+
35	1550	1490	99+	99+
35*	1540*	_	99	-
35	1530	1480	99	99+
34	1520	1480	99	99+
34	1510	1470	99	99+
34*	1500*	1460	99	99+
34	1490	1450	98	99+
33	1480	1440	98	99+
33	1470	1430	98	99
33*	1460*	1410-1420	97	99
33	1450	1400	97	99
32	1440	1390	96	99
32*	1430*	1380	96	99
32	1420	1370	95	99
31	1410	1360	95	98
31*	1400*	1350	94	98
31	1390	1340	94	98
30	1380	1320-1330	93	98
30*	1370*	1310	92	97
30	1360	1300	92	97
29	1350	1290	91	97
29*	1340*	1280	90	96
29	1330	1270	89	96
28	1320	1260	88	95
28	1310	-	88	-
28	1300	1250	87	95
27	1290	1240	86	95
27*	1280*	1220-1230	84-85	93-94
27	1270	1210	83	93
27	1260	1200	82	92
26	1250	1190	81	91
26*	1240*	-	80	-
26	1230	1180	79	90
25	1220	1160-1170	77-78	88-89
25*	1210*	1150	75-76	87
25	1200	1140	74	86
24	1190	-	73	-
24*	1180*	1130	72	85
24	1170	1120	70	84
24	1160	1110	68-69	83
23	1150	1100	67	81
23*	1140*	1090	65	80
23	1130	1080	63	78
22	1120	1070	62	77
22*	1110*	1060	60	76
22	1100	1050	58	74
21	1090	1040	56	72
21*	1080*	-	54	-
21	1070	1030	52	71
21	1060	1020	51	69
20	1050	1010	49	67
20*	1040	1000	47	66
20	1030	990	45	64
19	1020	980	43	62
19*	1010	960-970	41-42	58-60
19	1000	950	38-39	56
19	990	940	37-38	54
18	980	930	36	53
18*	970	920	34	51
18	960	910	32	49
17	950	900	31	47
17	940	890	29	45
17*	930	880	27	43
17	920	870	26	41
16	910	860	24	38
16	900	850	22-23	36
16*	890	840	21	34
16	880	830	19-20	32
15	870	820	18	30
15	860	810	16-17	28
15*	850*	800	15	26
15	840	790	14	24
15	830	-	13	-
14	820	780	12	22
14	810	770	11	18
14*	800*	760	10	18
14	790	750	9	16
14	780	740	8	14
13	770	730	7	12
13*	760*	720	6	10
13	750	710	5	9
13	740	-	4	7
13	730	700	4	7
12	720	690	3	6
12*	710	680	3	5
12	700	670	2	4
12	690	660	2	4
11	680	640	1	3
11*	670	630	1	2
11	650-660	620	1	2
10 & Below	640 & Below	610 & Below	🙁	🙁

Note: * indicates best correlation between SAT/ACT scores. All scores were correlated using User Percentile of Junior Year PSAT Users, SAT Users, and ACT Users (2018 data) from College Board and ACT.

SupertutorTV is not affiliated with or endorsed by ACT, Inc. or The College Board.

FAQs

What's a Good PSAT Score in 2020 ? | SupertutorTV? ›

AN EXCELLENT SCORE:

Find Out More ›

What is a good PSAT score 2020? ›

A "good" score, then, would probably be somewhere in the 75th percentile or higher. PSAT score percentiles change slightly each year depending on the testing class. For 2020-21 test-takers, the 75th percentile translates to a 590 EBRW score, a 570 Math score, and an 1150 total score.

What is a good enough PSAT score? ›

A good PSAT score is between 1210 and 1520, which would put you in the top 10% of test takers. The average score earned on the PSAT is about 920, and a “perfect” score on the PSAT would be the maximum score of 1520.

Discover More Details ›

What is a top 1% PSAT score? ›

A perfect score on the PSAT is a 1520. If you're in 10th grade and you score between 1420 and 1520, you're in the top 1% of all test takers (99th percentile). If you're in 11th grade, anything between a 1490 and 1520 places you in the top 1%.

What is a really bad PSAT score? ›

What's a Good 2020 PSAT Score Based on Percentiles?

PSAT Percentile	Math Score	TOTAL Score
75th (Very Good)	570	1150-1160
50th (Good/Average)	490-500	1010
25th (Below Average)	420-430	860
10th (Poor)	380-390	750

3 more rows

Read The Full Story ›

What is a 90% on the PSAT? ›

The percentile compares you to everyone else who took the PSAT on the test date. A 90th percentile score means you scored equal or higher than 90% of the students who took the PSAT during that particular administration.

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Is 1150 a bad PSAT score? ›

PSAT Score Range

Still, it's helpful to understand where your PSAT score places you relative to other students. A score of 1150 or higher typically means that you're in the top 25% of test takers as a junior, which is a great place to be as you're planning for the SAT.

Is 1000 an ok PSAT score? ›

A combined score of 1000 is approximately the national average, which represents the 50th percentile (students who score 1000 score right in the middle, with 50% of the people scoring higher and 50% of the students scoring lower).

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Is 1070 a bad PSAT score? ›

Average PSAT Scores: 960-1070

11th-grade students who scored between 960 and 1070 on the PSAT test will fall within the top 50% of all test takers.

Learn More Now ›

Is 750 a good PSAT score? ›

As you probably noticed, the score ranges for the 99th percentiles for Reading and Writing and for Math are not the same. For R&W, a score as low as 730 guarantees you a spot in the 99th percentile. For Math, on the other hand, you must score at least 750—a near-perfect score!

What's a good PSAT score for a 10th grader? ›

The average PSAT 10 score is around 920. A score between 1210 and 1520 places you in the top 10% of test takers.

Read On ›

What is the lowest PSAT score ever? ›

Students receive a scaled score ranging from 160 to 760 for each of the sections, with 160 being the lowest possible score and 760 being the highest possible score. The two scaled scores are added together to get the student's total PSAT score, with a total score range from 320 to 1520.

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Is PSAT easier than SAT? ›

The PSAT is slightly less challenging than the SAT because it is designed to be a practice test. As a precursor exam, the PSAT will introduce students to the subject matter and test structure of the SAT. The PSAT is a shorter test as well, with fewer questions. The SAT is 15 minutes longer.

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Is it OK to fail PSAT? ›

What if you fail PSAT? There are no significant negative consequences to performing poorly on the PSAT. These scores will not be reported to colleges, so they will not negatively impact your admissions processes.

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Is a 790 a bad PSAT score? ›

However, from a percentile perspective, any score below the 25th percentile might be considered on the lower end. Using the nationally representative sample as a reference, this would be a score between 790 and 800. For students who have specifically taken the PSAT®, this would be approximately 830.

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Is 1200 a good SAT score? ›

A 1200 is an above average score that places you in approximately the 74th percentile of all high school students taking the exam. A score of 1200 makes it possible to apply to the vast majority of schools throughout the nation and be competitive for admission at a sizable number of colleges.

Is 1100 a bad PSAT score? ›

According to this chart, a good PSAT score for a junior is a composite score higher than 1140, an OK score is one higher than 1000, and an excellent score is anything higher than 1290.

Is 1200 a good PSAT score for a freshman? ›

Anything above the 75th percentile is ranked as good. 1200 is a good PSAT score as a freshman. A composite score above 1170 is considered excellent.

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Is a 400 a good PSAT score? ›

To begin with, the PSAT score range is from 320 to 1520.

The average PSAT score is around 920 (460 in Math and 460 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing), while an outstanding PSAT score (one that will qualify you as a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist) is between 1420 and 1480.

What's a Good PSAT Score in 2020 ? | SupertutorTV (2024)

DECENT PSAT SCORE:

A GOOD PSAT SCORE:

A VERY GOOD PSAT SCORE:

AN EXCELLENT SCORE:

How do ACT, SAT and PSAT scores compare?

FAQs

What's a Good PSAT Score in 2020 ? | SupertutorTV? ›

What's a good PSAT score for a 10th grader? ›