PSAT to SAT Score Converter
Translate PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, or PSAT 8/9 section scores to the SAT scale, see where that score sits among SAT takers, and calculate the National Merit Selection Index in one step.
Enter your PSAT section scores
Use the two section scores from your PSAT score report, not the total.
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Try a real SAT question
This one is from our 1,804-question bank. A free account opens 120 of them across all 8 domains, with no card required.
Mr. Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike; he had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners. His sisters were fine women, with an air of decided fashion.
— Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813)
As used in the text, what does the word "countenance" most nearly mean?
How PSAT to SAT conversion works
College Board built the SAT Suite on one vertical scale so every test reports comparable numbers. A PSAT section score is therefore already an SAT-scale score; there is no conversion table to look up. What changes between tests is the range each one can measure. The PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 stop at 760 per section, the PSAT 8/9 stops at 720, and the SAT continues to 800, so top scorers have extra room on the SAT that the PSAT could not show.
The percentile shown here is the SAT User percentile for the equivalent total, taken from College Board's current Understanding SAT Scores tables. It answers a different question from the percentile on your PSAT report, which compares you with other PSAT takers in your grade.
Selection Index worked example
A junior scores 720 Reading & Writing and 690 Math on the PSAT/NMSQT. Reading & Writing counts twice: 72 × 2 = 144. Math counts once: 69. The Selection Index is 144 + 69 = 213. Because Reading & Writing is doubled, ten points there move the index by two while ten Math points move it by one.
What to do with the result
- Treat the SAT equivalent as a baseline, then pick a planning target with the target score calculator.
- Use the domain breakdown on your PSAT report to choose a starting domain; the SAT prep guides cover all eight.
- If the section split is lopsided, spend the first weeks on the weaker section and keep the stronger one warm with mixed sets.
- Book a test date with the confirmed SAT dates and work backward with the study time planner.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a PSAT score the same as an SAT score?
- The PSAT and SAT report on one shared vertical scale, so a 560 in Reading and Writing on the PSAT is the score you would be expected to earn on the SAT the same day. The difference is the ceiling: PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 sections stop at 760 (1520 total) while SAT sections run to 800 (1600 total).
- How do I calculate my National Merit Selection Index?
- For the digital PSAT/NMSQT, divide the Reading and Writing section score by 10, double it, then add the Math section score divided by 10. The result runs from 48 to 228. A 700 Reading and Writing with a 680 Math is (70 × 2) + 68 = 208. Only the PSAT/NMSQT taken in 11th grade counts for National Merit.
- What Selection Index qualifies for National Merit?
- Cutoffs are set separately for every state and change each year, so no calculator can promise qualification. The Commended cutoff is national; Semifinalist cutoffs are set by state. The National Merit cutoff checker on this site compares your Selection Index with the last two years of final cutoffs for your state; treat it as a range, not a promise.
- Will my SAT score be higher than my PSAT score?
- Often, but not automatically. Students usually take the SAT months after the PSAT, so coursework and preparation add points, and the higher SAT ceiling gives strong scorers more room. The converter shows the same-day equivalent; how far above it you finish depends on what happens between the two tests.
- Does the PSAT 8/9 use the same scale?
- Yes, but with a lower ceiling: PSAT 8/9 sections run from 120 to 720 (1440 total). The number still means the same thing on the shared scale, which is why a PSAT 8/9 score can be compared directly with a later PSAT 10 or SAT score.