PSAT 8/9 ACS Student Information

STUDENT NAME: ____________________________________________________________________________________________

PSAT TESTING ROOM NUMBER: __________________________________________________________________________

Testing Day:
● Wednesday, October 11 (Periods 1-3)
● Be on time! Late students will NOT be permitted entry to classrooms after the 8:18am bell. Late
students should go directly to the Library.
● What’s my room number for the test? (see above or refer to the chart below)

LAST NAMES ADR-BRI BUC-ELS ERF-GOL GOO-KRI

ROOM # F201 F202 F206 F207

LAST NAMES KRO-MER MER-PAZ PEA-SAP SAS-TRA

ROOM # F210 F101 F102 F107

LAST NAMES TSE-ZVI Special Accommodations

ROOM # F117 Please contact your student’s counselor for their assigned room number.

What should I bring?

● Student ID - REQUIRED
● Classroom/school supplies for periods 4, 5, and 6
● A bottle of water and healthy snack for testing breaks (optional)
● Calculator, refer to the approved list (see above)
● Cell phones should be in backpacks in the OFF position; NOT ON SILENT!
● ACS will provide everything else! :-)

What is the PSAT 8/9?

● The PSAT 8/9 is designed for 8th and 9th grade students
● The PSAT 8/9 is a test that helps educators and students figure out what students need to work on
most so that they are ready for college when they graduate from high school
● Scores for the PSAT 8/9 are reported on a common vertical scale, allowing educations and students to
measure progress
● 2 hours and 25 minutes and two 5 minute breaks
● No penalty for guessing or blank responses also known as “right-only scoring”

Benefits of the PSAT 8/9:

● The PSAT 8/9 establishes a baseline measurement of college and career readiness
● The PSAT 8/9 tests the same skills and knowledge as the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 in a way
that makes sense for each grade level
● Personalized practice on Khan Academy gives students the opportunity to upload their test results to
receive targeted learning plans that students can use to learn more about and practice the skills they
need to improve
 ● Score reports will give students comprehensive, personalized feedback on test performance, allowing
students to see which questions were answered incorrectly and which academic skills should work to
improve on
● Majors and career exploration with College Board and Roadtrip Nation

Skills Tested on the PSAT 8/9:

● Each test assess the academic skills that students developed over the years, primarily through course
work.
● These skills are considered essential for success in high school and college and career.
● Reading Test
○ 42 passage based questions; 55 minutes
○ Total of 4 single passages and 1 pair of passages
○ All questions are multiple choice and based on passages.
○ Some passages are paired with other passages or informational graphics such as charts,
graphs and tables.
○ No mathematical computation is required.
○ Prior topic-specific knowledge is never tested.
● Writing and Language Test
○ 40 Passage-Based Questions; 30 minutes
○ Total of 4 passages
○ All questions are multiple choice and based on passages.
○ Some passages are paired with other passages or informational graphics
such as charts, graphs and tables.
○ No mathematical computation is required.
○ Prior topic-specific knowledge is never tested.
● Math Test:
○ 2 Test Sections
○ 38 Questions (31 multiple choice, 7 grid-ins, 2 sections, 60 minutes)
○ Most math questions will be multiple choice, but some will be students-produced responses
(grid-ins).
○ The Math Test is divided into two portions:
■ Math Test - Calculator
■ Math Test - No Calculator
○ Some parts of the test will present a scenario and then ask several questions about it.
○ Students are permitted to use a scientific or graphing calculator for the math section of the
assessment. All scientific calculators and most graphing calculators are permitted (see list
below).

CASIO Hewlett- Sharp Texas Instruments (TI) Radio Shack Other

Packard
(HP)

FX-6000 CFX-9800 series HP-9G EL-5200 TI-73 EC-4033 Datexx DS-883

FX-6200 CFX-9850 series HP-28 series El-9200 series TI-80 EC-4034 Micronta
FX-6300 CFX-9950 series HP-38G EL-9300 series TI-81 EC-4037 Smart
FX-6500 CFX-9970 series HP-39 series EL-9600 series* TI-82
FX-7000 FX 1.0 series HP-40 series EL-9900 series TI-83
FX-7300 Algebra FX 2.0 HP-48 series TI-83 Plus
series HP-49 series TI-83 Plus Silver
FX-7400 FX-CG-10 HP-50 series TI-84 Plus
FX-7500 FX-CG-20 series HP Prime TI-84 Plus CE
FX-7700 FX-CG-50 TI-84 Plus Silver
FX-7800 FX-CG-500* TI-84 Plus T
FX-8000 Graph25 series TI-84 Plus CE-T
FX-8500 Graph35 series TI-85
FX-8700 Graph75 series TI-86
FX-8800 Graph95 series TI-89
FX-9700 Graph100 series TI-89 Titanium
FX-9750 TI-Nspire
FX-9860 TI-Nspire CX
TI-Nspire CM-C
TI-Nspire CAS
TI-Nspire CX CAS
TI-Nspire CM-C CAS
TI-Nspire CX-C CAS
* No stylus permitted

How does the PSAT 8/9 connect to the PSAT 10, PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT?
● The score students receive on the PSAT 8/9 is the same score they would have gotten on the PSAT 10,
PSAT/NMSQT or SAT if it was taken on the same day

How do I prepare for the PSAT 8/9?

● Know how the test is scored:
○ Rights-Only Scoring:
■ 1 point for each correct answer
■ 0 points deducted for each incorrect or blank question
○ Math Grid-ins:
■ Enter answers as (reduced) fractions or decimals
■ If rounding a decimal, make sure to use every box
○ Scale:
■ 120-720 for each total section
■ 240-1440 for the total score

Score Reports:
● Should be available to students and teachers in December
● Contains information to help students improve their academic skills.
● List skills that students have the best chance of improving with additional work.
● Connects students to personalized practice recommendations on Khan Academy.

Student Resources:
● For personalized resources aligned to the SAT Suite of Assessments (including the PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10
and PSAT/NMSQT) please visit: khanacademy.org/sat
● For general information about the PSAT 8/9, please visit: psat.org/8-9