PSAT Scores 2016: Release Date, Good Scores, Average Testing Ranges

The latest PSAT results were officially released Monday, but wading through scores and terminology can prove almost as stressful as the test itself. While PSAT scores don’t directly affect future college admissions, they’re useful in determining how a student will do on the SAT.

By signing into the College Board website at www.psat.org/scorereport with the username and password used to sign up for the test, a tester will be able to see their overall scores and a further breakdown of subscores.

The maximum possible test score is 1520. Any number that falls between 1210 to 1520 is considered a top score and puts the tester in the top 10 percent of test-takers overall. Competitive scores range from 1070 to 1200, while average scores range from 950 to 1060. The scores are then translated into percentiles to help gauge college competition. The percentile offers insight into how the tester fared against other testers, so the higher the percentile the better.

The overall score is broken down into reading/writing and math. If the tester's score isn’t as good as he or she would like it to be, knowing how to read the subscores can be helpful in the long run. A green, yellow or red box is shown next to each subscore, indicating strong performance, moderate performance and areas that need work. By focusing on red and yellow sections, the tester can brush up on certain areas for better scores in the future.

The College Board website also suggests appropriate advanced-placement classes to enroll in and specific types of questions testers might want to work on in the future.

National Merit Scholarship eligibility is dependent on PSAT scores. Different states have different cutoffs ranges for the scholarship and eligibility is shown on the College Board website, as well.

The first SAT test in 2017 is Jan. 21 and the sign-up deadline is Dec. 21.