PSAT sections
The PSAT test comprises of three sections. They are
- Critical Reading
- Math &
- Writing
Critical Reading
In this section, 48 questions are asked and 25 minutes are allotted to complete them. This section has two divisions of 48 questions each. There are about 13 sentence completion questions and 35 critical reading questions asked. Passages are given from which the student has to answer the questions. In sentence completion an appropriate word is given and the student has to select the right word that completes the sentence. The passages given in the comprehension are of varied topics. The questions test the understanding capacity of the reader. All questions asked are multiple-choice questions.
Math
The math section also has two divisions of 25 minutes each but with 38 questions only. About 28 multiple choice questions are asked. The remaining 10 questions are based on responses produced by the students. This section is called the grid-ins. The students can use a calculator of their own to work out this section. The student must be aware of the following topics to do well in the PSAT test.
- Numbers and Operation
- Algebra and Functions
- Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability
- Geometry and Measurement
The grid-ins section does not have a choice of answers given. The answers have to be worked out or computed by the student. Topics that are not covered in the high school are not included in the PSAT test.
Writing Skills
The writing section has only one division with 39 questions that last for 30 minutes. 14 sentences with errors have to be set right. 20 sentences have to be improved and 5 paragraphs have to be improved. This section identifies the student’s written language skills and improvises on the usage and structure of the English language. All the questions asked are multiple-choice questions. Five choices of answers are asked from which the correct suitable answer has to be selected.