There are currently three different SAT-branded tests:

A pair of students contemplating psat to sat conversion.
  • PSAT 8/9
  • PSAT
  • SAT

This has left students wondering about the differences in content and with PSAT to SAT conversions between tests. This is especially true given the recent shift to a new digital test format, which concluded with the rollout of the Digital SAT in March 2024. Here are the similarities and differences.

A “Suite of Assessments”

College Board, the organization that writes these tests, has created what it calls a “Suite of Assessments” that starts with the PSAT 8/9. One of the ideas behind these tests is that each test prepares you for the next. To that end, the tests are more similar than different. All the tests in the Suite have the same structure, the same number of questions, and the same timing.

The chart below shows all the things that the three tests have in common.

HOW IS THE PSAT 8/9 STRUCTURED AND SCORED?

Category PSAT 8/9
Time Overall 134 minutes plus break
Components
  • Reading and Writing section
  • Math section
Number of Questions
  • Reading and Writing: 54, including 4 experimental questions
  • Math: 44, including 4 experimental questions
Answer Choices
  • Reading and Writing: all multiple-choice with 4 answers per question
  • Math: 75% multiple-choice with 4 answers per question, 25% student-produced responses
Time by Section
  • Reading and Writing: 64 minutes in two 32-minute modules
  • Math: 70 minutes in two 35-minute modules
Relationship Between Modules
  • Module 1 has a broad mix of levels of difficulty.
  • Performance on Module 1 determines the difficulty of Module 2.
  • Students who do well on Module 1 will get a Module 2 that is harder, on average.
  • Students who do less well on Module 1 will get a Module 2 that is easier, on average.
Scoring
  • The score is based on the number of questions correct and the difficulty of the questions seen.
  • Students who do well on Module 1 are put into a higher bracket of possible scores.
  • Students who do less well on Module 1 are put into a lower bracket of possible scores.
  • Section scores range from 120 to 720.
  • Total score is the sum of the section scores and ranges from 240 to 1440.

A Common, Vertical Scale

The main difference between each test is in the scoring:

PSAT 8/9 is out of 1440

PSAT is out of 1520

SAT is out of 1600

Because the PSAT 8/9, PSAT, and SAT are aligned by College Board to be scored on the same “vertical” scale, your PSAT 8/9 score indicates the approximate PSAT or SAT score you would earn were you to have taken the PSAT on that same day. Similarly, if you take the PSAT, that score reflects the score you’d get if you took the SAT the same day.

According to the College Board, this design means that:

  • students can clearly track their progress across each test
  • the content is similar, tweaked slightly across grades
  • it is “easier to understand what to expect from younger students when they reach college”

Content Differences

Aside from having different scoring ranges on the vertical scale, the three tests have minor differences in terms of content. Since younger students are taking the PSAT 8/9, the content is less difficult overall. This can be seen mostly in the complexity level of the texts in the Reading and Writing section and with the exclusion of select topics in the Math section.

TestPSAT 8/9PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQTSAT
Reading and Writing Content Information and Ideas (~26%)
Craft and Structure (~28%)
Expression of Ideas (~20%)
Standard English Conventions (~26%)		 Information and Ideas (~26%)
Craft and Structure (~28%)
Expression of Ideas (~20%)
Standard English Conventions (~26%)		 Information and Ideas (~26%)
Craft and Structure (~28%)
Expression of Ideas (~20%)
Standard English Conventions (~26%)
Test Complexity Grades 6 through 11 Grades 6 through 14 Grades 6 through 14
Math Content Algebra (~42.5%)
Advanced Math (~20%)
Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (~25%)
Geometry (~12.5%)		 Algebra (~35%)
Advanced Math (~32.5%)
Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (~20%)
Geometry and Trigonometry (~12.5%)		 Algebra (~35%)
Advanced Math (~35%)
Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (~15%)
Geometry and Trigonometry (~15%)
Math Topics Excluded Rational and Radical Equations, Trigonometry, Circles, Evaluating Statistical Claims and Making Inferences Circles, Making Inferences from Statistical Samples None
Section Score Range 120 to 720 160 to 760 200 to 800
Total Score Range 240 to 1440 320 to 1520 400 to 1600

PSAT to SAT Conversions

So far as PSAT to SAT conversions go, because the difficulty of the PSAT 8/9 is lower than that of the PSAT, you can’t score quite as high on it as you can on the PSAT or SAT, and you can’t score as high on the PSAT as you can on the SAT. However, taking the PSAT 8/9 or the PSAT will give you a good idea of how you’d score on the SAT. Remember that no matter what score you get on your PSAT 8/9 or PSAT, you’ll still have plenty of time to improve it before you take your PSAT or SAT, respectively! Because the tests are so similar, you can even prep for the PSAT and the SAT simultaneously.