PSAT Test-Taking Strategies: Top 3 Tips

Important: The PSAT is different from typical school exams. You don't need to answer questions in order, and showing your work doesn't matter—only selecting the correct answer counts. Use these strategies to approach the test efficiently and maximize your score.

Triage the Test

You don't need to complete PSAT questions in order. Every student has different strengths, and your main goal is to score as many points as possible. While skipping around may feel counterintuitive, it's one of the most effective ways to achieve your best score.

Remember: You can skip around within each module, but you cannot work on a module other than the one you've been instructed to work on.

The Triage Process:

First pass: Work through all the easy questions you can do quickly. Skip questions that are difficult or time-consuming. Use the digital test's flag tool to mark any questions you're initially skipping. Before leaving a question, consider marking a guess just in case you don't have time to return to it.
Second pass: Use the module review screen to return to any questions you skipped. Work through the questions that are doable but time-consuming.
Third pass: Tackle the hard questions. By this point, you've already secured points from easier questions, so you can afford to spend more time on challenging problems.

Use Elimination

Even though there's no wrong-answer penalty on the PSAT, elimination is still a crucial strategy. If you can determine that one or more answer choices are definitely incorrect, you increase your chances of selecting the correct answer by narrowing down your options.

How to Eliminate Effectively:

Read each answer choice carefully. Don't just skim—look for subtle differences that might indicate which options are incorrect.
Use the digital test's elimination tool to cross out any answer choices you determine are incorrect. This visual feedback helps you focus on the remaining options.
If only one answer choice remains, select it and move on. You've logically narrowed it down.
If more than one answer choice remains, remember there's no wrong-answer penalty, so take your best educated guess from the remaining options.

Take Strategic Guesses

Each multiple-choice question on the PSAT has four answer choices and no wrong-answer penalty. That means if you have no idea how to approach a question, you have a 25% chance of randomly choosing the correct answer. Even better, if you can eliminate one or more choices (using Strategy #2), your odds improve significantly.

Key point: The worst that can happen on the PSAT is that you'll earn zero points on a question. You should always at least take a guess, even when you have no idea what to do.

Strategic Guessing Guidelines:

Try to eliminate answer choices before guessing. Even eliminating one wrong answer improves your odds from 25% to 33%.
Use a "Letter of the Day" strategy if you're almost out of time or have no idea what a question is asking. Pick one answer choice letter (A, B, C, or D) before test day and use it consistently for questions you're completely guessing on. This prevents wasting time deciding between options.
If a question is taking too long, skip it and guess. Spend your time on questions you know how to do. Don't allow yourself to get bogged down fighting with a question that's too time-consuming.
Leave yourself a few minutes before time runs out on each module to check the module review screen. Make sure you have an answer selected for every question.

Common PSAT Myths Debunked

Myth: Colleges use PSAT scores for admissions

Fact: Colleges don't use PSAT scores to make admissions decisions. Your PSAT scores are provided to organizations like the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for scholarship opportunities. Colleges may receive lists of high-scoring students for marketing purposes, but a low PSAT score won't hurt your admissions chances.

Myth: There's a wrong-answer penalty

Fact: While older versions of the PSAT had a wrong-answer penalty, this has been removed. Never leave a question blank—always guess if you're unsure.

Myth: Answer choice C is most likely correct

Fact: While humans may have a slight bias toward answer choice C when creating tests, computers randomize the distribution of correct answers on the PSAT. Statistically, each answer choice is equally likely to be correct.

Myth: You need all questions right for a perfect score

Fact: The PSAT uses scaling to ensure scores convey consistent information from year to year. You can miss several questions and still receive a perfect score, depending on the difficulty of that particular test.

Put These Strategies Into Practice

Every time you complete a set of PSAT practice questions, apply the strategies listed above:

Flag questions you find too time-consuming and return to them if you have time
Keep an eye on the clock throughout each module
Eliminate incorrect answer choices systematically
Make strategic guesses when needed
Make sure you answer every question

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Common PSAT Myths Debunked

Myth: Colleges use PSAT scores for admissions

Myth: There's a wrong-answer penalty

Fact: While older versions of the PSAT had a wrong-answer penalty, this has been removed. Never leave a question blank—always guess if you're unsure.