PSAT Scores: What Counts as Good, Percentiles, and Averages

When PSAT scores come out in 2026

Fall 2026 PSAT/NMSQT scores come out in three waves. Your wave depends on when your school finished testing and sent in answers. The fall testing window ran October 1 to 30.

Students who are 13 or older and gave a mobile number on test day can see their scores in the BigFuture School app. Schools also get an official PDF score report for every student. If your state gave the test as part of its own testing program, check with your state for the date. If you are not sure which wave you are in, ask your school counselor.

Source: College Board, SAT Suite Score Release Dates.

PSAT score range

Your PSAT/NMSQT score report shows four numbers:

• Reading and Writing: 160 to 760.
• Math: 160 to 760.
• Total score: 320 to 1520, the sum of the two sections.
• NMSC Selection Index: 48 to 228. Double your Reading and Writing score, add your Math score, and divide by 10. National Merit uses this number, not your total.

For example, 620 in Reading and Writing and 500 in Math is a 1120 total and a Selection Index of 174, because 2 × 620 + 500 = 1740, and 1740 divided by 10 is 174.

Sources: College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Understanding Scores, Fall 2026; NMSC, PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide, Fall 2026.

Average PSAT scores

In the 2025-26 school year, the average PSAT total was 1000 for 11th graders and 917 for 10th graders.

The middle 50% runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile, so a junior with 1150 or higher scored in the top quarter. Here is how the totals spread out:

Source: College Board, 2026 SAT Suite of Assessments Annual Report. Covers PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 takers in the 2025-26 school year; for students who tested more than once, the most recent score counts. Across PSAT/NMSQT takers alone (2,986,867 students, all grades), the average total was 954.

PSAT percentiles

A percentile tells you the share of students who scored at or below you. If your score is at the 70th percentile, 70 percent of students in your grade scored the same as you or lower.

The table shows College Board's published User Group percentiles for the PSAT/NMSQT, based on the scores of students who took the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 in the past three school years. Your score report shows an "All Tester" percentile for your grade from the past three years of PSAT/NMSQT takers, so it can differ from this table by a point or two.

Source: College Board Research, PSAT/NMSQT User Percentiles. 99+ means above the 99th percentile. These line up with the 2025-26 results above: for example, the table puts 990 at the 51st percentile for juniors, and the 2025-26 median was 990.

What is a good PSAT score?

It depends on what you want the score to do. Here are four useful lines, from College Board's 2025-26 numbers:

1. Above average: above 1000 for juniors, or above 917 for sophomores.
2. Top quarter: 1150 or higher for juniors, or 1050 or higher for sophomores.
3. On track for college: meeting both of College Board's grade-level benchmarks. For 11th grade that is 460 in Reading and Writing and 510 in Math. For 10th grade it is 430 and 480. In 2025-26, 41% of juniors and 36% of sophomores met both.
4. In range for National Merit: about 50,000 of the 1.3 million students who enter the program each year earn recognition, roughly the top 4 percent. As a rough guide, a junior needs a total around the 96th percentile or higher (about 1390 and up in the table above) to be in the running. The Selection Index decides, and it counts Reading and Writing twice.

For most students, the PSAT matters most as a preview of the SAT. A good PSAT score is one that shows you where to focus before the test colleges see.

PSAT scores and National Merit

The PSAT/NMSQT is the entry test for the National Merit Scholarship Program, run by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). The PSAT 10 and PSAT 8/9 do not count.

Most students enter in 11th grade. A sophomore who plans to spend four years in high school does not enter by taking it this year and needs to take it again as a junior. Students finishing high school early have different rules, explained in NMSC's Student Guide.

For juniors who took the PSAT/NMSQT in fall 2026, NMSC lays out these steps:

• April 2027: NMSC asks high school principals to confirm the eligibility of high scorers, about 50,000 students.
• September 2027: about 16,000 Semifinalists are notified through their schools in early September, and about 34,000 Commended Students in late September.
• February 2028: about 15,000 Semifinalists who meet the academic and other requirements become Finalists.
• March 2028 on: about 6,700 Merit Scholarship winners are named from the Finalists.

Commended Students are named using one national Selection Index score, which can change from year to year. Semifinalists are chosen state by state: each state gets a share of Semifinalists based on its share of graduating seniors, so the qualifying score differs by state and by year. To become a Finalist, a Semifinalist also needs SAT or ACT scores that confirm their PSAT performance.

Sources: NMSC, PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide, Fall 2026; NMSC, Program Recognition.

What your PSAT score means for the SAT

The PSAT and the SAT use the same score scale. College Board's example: a student with a 500 in PSAT Math would be expected to get a 500 on the SAT if they had taken it the same day. So your PSAT total is a good estimate of your SAT score right now. The SAT runs from 400 to 1600, with each section from 200 to 800.

Three things to do with your score report:

1. Read the Knowledge and Skills section. It shows how you did in each of the eight content domains, four in Reading and Writing and four in Math. That is your list of what to study.
2. Take a full practice SAT in Bluebook. These are College Board's own practice tests, and they show where you are on the real SAT scale.
3. Pick a target score and a test date. Work back from the date so you have time to practice and, if needed, retake.

For a week-by-week schedule, see our free 10-week SAT study plan. If you are choosing between tests, read SAT vs. ACT: which should I take? To compare an ACT score with your PSAT, use our ACT to SAT converter. Once you have an SAT or ACT score, see what your SAT score means or what your ACT score means. For scholarships beyond National Merit, see how test scores can earn merit aid. We also offer digital SAT tutoring and online SAT tutoring.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good PSAT score?

Above average is above 1000 for juniors and above 917 for sophomores. The top quarter starts at 1150 for juniors and 1050 for sophomores. For National Merit, a junior generally needs a total around the 96th percentile or higher, because only about the top 4 percent of entrants earn recognition.

What is the average PSAT score?

In the 2025-26 school year, the average total was 1000 for 11th graders (509 Reading and Writing, 491 Math) and 917 for 10th graders (467 Reading and Writing, 450 Math).

When do PSAT scores come out in 2026?

October 22, November 5, or November 12, 2026, depending on when your school sent in answers (by October 9, October 23, or October 30). If your state ran the test as part of its own program, check with your state.

What PSAT score do you need for National Merit?

There is no fixed score. Commended Students are named using one national Selection Index score, and Semifinalists using a score set separately for each state. Both change every year. About 50,000 of the 1.3 million entrants each year earn recognition.

How is the National Merit Selection Index calculated?

Double your Reading and Writing score, add your Math score, and divide by 10. A 620 in Reading and Writing and a 500 in Math gives (1240 + 500) / 10 = 174. The scale runs from 48 to 228.

Does the PSAT 10 count for National Merit?

No. Only the PSAT/NMSQT counts. The PSAT 10 and PSAT 8/9 are not used for the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Can a sophomore qualify for National Merit?

Not usually. Students who plan to spend four years in high school enter by taking the PSAT/NMSQT in 11th grade. A sophomore planning to finish high school early should read NMSC's rules in the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide.

Is my PSAT score the same as my SAT score?

They use the same scale, so your PSAT score estimates the SAT score you would have earned that day. The SAT goes higher: 200 to 800 per section and 400 to 1600 total, compared with 160 to 760 and 320 to 1520 on the PSAT/NMSQT.

Every score figure on this page comes from College Board or NMSC. We are independent tutors and are not affiliated with either. Last checked October 27, 2026.