What Is a Good PSAT Score? 2026 Guide by Grade

The middle junior who takes the PSAT/NMSQT scores about 980 and the middle sophomore about 900, on the College Board's user percentiles. So the middle 11th grader scores about 80 points more than the middle 10th grader.

Each section is scored from 160 to 760 and the total from 320 to 1520. The National Merit Selection Index, (2 x Reading and Writing + Math) / 10, runs from 48 to 228.

Anything above 900 is above the middle of 10th graders, and 1100 is at the 82nd percentile of sophomore test takers. The sophomore score does not count for National Merit; use it to plan what to practice before junior year.

For the class of 2027 the national Commended cutoff was a Selection Index of 208 and state Semifinalist cutoffs ran from 208 to 223. That usually means a total around 1400 or higher, depending on the section split and your state.

The PSAT 10 uses the same 320 to 1520 scale as the PSAT/NMSQT, so the 10th grade columns in the table above are a fair guide: about 900 is the middle and 1100 is at the 82nd percentile of sophomore test takers. The PSAT 8/9 has its own 240 to 1440 scale. Neither test counts for National Merit.

Not in the way most students fear. The PSAT/NMSQT is built like the SAT, with the same two sections and the same kinds of questions, and the College Board puts every test in the SAT Suite on one common score scale, so a 500 section score means the same level of skill on both. The PSAT range simply stops at 1520 instead of 1600 because it is written for 10th and 11th graders. Most students score higher on the SAT later because they have had another year of classes and practice, not because the SAT is easier.

About two weeks after the school sends in the answers, so the date depends on your school, not on your test day. PSAT score release dates for the October 2026 window: answers sent by 9, 23 or 30 October reach students on 22 October, 5 November or 12 November in their College Board account; schools see them in their score portal two days earlier.