Guidance

Due to the quick turn around date, I am handing out the PSAT scores individually. Please read this letter along with reviewing your test scores and then set up an appointment with me after Christmas to evaluate your scores.

I encourage you to use your score reports and test books with collegeboard.com/psatextra to review explanations for the answers to every 2004 PSAT/NMSQT test question—including explanations for why incorrect answers were wrong. (The test questions will not be available online; students need their test book to see the questions).

The PSAT scale ranges from 20 to 80. Look at the individual areas to see what your score is. Take the test booklet and review the questions that you missed. Please review this information because it is a great source to prepare for the SAT and or ACT. Keep this booklet for future use PLEASE.

When you look at your scores – they are in the box at the top- a high score is 80. Very few students receive an 80 or even near this score. The “Improve Your Skills” section of the score report gives students a personalized analysis of their areas of weakness as well as specific suggestions for how to improve. This information is derived from analyzing individual performance across test questions. Each test question contains a different combination of skills.

National Merit Scholarship Corporation uses the Selection Index score as an initial screen of the 1.3 million test-takers who meet program entry requirements and to designate groups of students to be honored in the competition it conducts. This information will be sent to me September 2005. I will then notify the student(s) who earned scores high enough to qualify them for recognition.

Once again, because of the time element, I will not be coming into your class to explain this. I encourage you to make an appointment with me so we can review this valuable information. Thank you for taking the test --- all 137 of you. Apollo had the most students testing for the PSAT this year.