PSAT/NMSQT Unit Tests
Pick a unit to drill it head-on. Each unit has 4 different test variations so you can keep retaking until you master it.
Unit 1: Information and Ideas
Central ideas and purpose, command of evidence (text, quantitative), and inferences.
12 questions · ~18 min
Unit 2: Craft and Structure
Words in context, text structure and purpose, and cross-text connections.
12 questions · ~18 min
Unit 3: Expression of Ideas
Rhetorical synthesis from notes, and transitions between ideas.
12 questions · ~18 min
Unit 4: Standard English Conventions
Sentence boundaries, agreement, modifiers, verbs, pronouns, and punctuation.
12 questions · ~18 min
Unit 5: Algebra
Linear equations and functions, systems, and linear inequalities.
12 questions · ~18 min
Unit 6: Advanced Math
Quadratics, equivalent expressions, nonlinear equations and functions.
12 questions · ~18 min
Unit 7: Problem-Solving and Data Analysis
Ratios, rates and proportions, percentages, statistics, and probability.
12 questions · ~18 min
Unit 8: Geometry and Trigonometry
Area and volume, lines and angles, right triangles and basic trigonometry, and circles.
12 questions · ~18 min
How unit tests work
- Focused on a single AP unit, between a single-topic quiz and the full diagnostic.
- 4 variations per unit — pick a fresh variation any time you retake.
- Roughly 90 seconds per question — the same pacing as the AP exam.
- You'll get a unit-level score, recommended topics to review, and a question-by-question explanation.
About the PSAT/NMSQT exam
The PSAT/NMSQT is a digital practice-and-qualifying test from College Board, taken in the Bluebook app, that mirrors the SAT in content and format while serving a second, high-stakes purpose: it is the entry point to the National Merit Scholarship Program. Most students take it in the fall of 11th grade (a 10th-grade administration is common for practice), and the junior-year score is the one that counts for National Merit. Like the SAT, it has a Reading and Writing section and a Math section, each delivered in two adaptive modules, so a student's performance on the first module determines the difficulty of the second. The content is deliberately slightly easier than the SAT and the score scale tops out lower, but the skills are the same: command of evidence and structure in short reading passages, standard English conventions, algebra, problem solving and data analysis, and advanced math, all with an embedded Desmos calculator. What makes the PSAT distinctive is the Selection Index used by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, computed as (2 × Reading and Writing score + Math score) ÷ 10, ranging from 48 to 228. Semifinalist cutoffs are set per state and shift yearly, which trips up students who fixate on the 1520 total rather than the index. Common struggles include adapting to the timed adaptive modules, the inference-driven short passages, and recognizing that even a single careless error can move a borderline Selection Index below a state cutoff. Preparation overlaps almost entirely with SAT prep, making the PSAT an efficient diagnostic and a genuine scholarship opportunity.
Exam structure
Two sections in two adaptive modules each: Reading & Writing (54 questions, two 27-question modules) and Math (44 questions, two 22-question modules). Total testing time is about 2 hours 14 minutes with a 10-minute break between sections.
Scoring
Each section is scored 160-760 for a total of 320-1520; a separate Selection Index (48-228) = (2 × Reading & Writing + Math) ÷ 10 determines National Merit eligibility.
Common mistakes
- Optimizing for the 1520 total instead of the Selection Index, which double-weights Reading & Writing and is what National Merit actually uses.
- Assuming the 10th-grade or practice score qualifies for scholarships — only the official junior-year PSAT/NMSQT counts for National Merit.
- Letting a single careless error slide near a state Semifinalist cutoff, where one or two index points can be decisive.
- Underestimating the adaptive first module, since it sets the difficulty ceiling for the second module in each section.
- Skipping SAT-style prep because the PSAT is 'just practice,' then being surprised by the same pacing and short-passage demands.