The PSAT/NMSQT® Test: Structure, Timing and Dates
Facts teachers need about the PSAT/NMSQT® test: how it is built, how long it takes, how it is scored and when it happens.
- Run by
- College Board
- Who takes it
- Usually grades 10–11 (our note). Grade range not stated on the pages read; schools decide who takes it.
- Delivery
- Digital (adaptive)
- Questions
- 98
- Testing time
- 2 h 14 min
- Score range
- 320–1520
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
This is our guide to the College Board's PSAT/NMSQT® test. PSAT/NMSQT® is a registered trademark of the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which are not affiliated with, and do not endorse, this site.
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Fall in-school test with the same format as PSAT 10. Its full name means it is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Sections, questions and timing
| Section | Questions | Time | Notes | Content (share of questions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | 54 (4 unscored) | 1 h 4 min | No calculator. 2 modules, second adapts to the first. Short passages (or passage pairs), each with one multiple-choice question; all four content domains appear in both modules. | Craft and Structure; Information and Ideas; Standard English Conventions; Expression of Ideas |
| Math | 44 (4 unscored) | 1 h 10 min | Calculator allowed. 2 modules, second adapts to the first. Multiple-choice and type-in (student-produced response) questions; about 30% of questions are set in a real-world context. Domain shares for the PSAT/NMSQT are in the Assessment Framework tables we could not read. | Algebra; Advanced Math; Problem-Solving and Data Analysis; Geometry and Trigonometry |
Scores and results
- Scores: Step: 10
- Benchmarks: Note: Grade-level benchmarks exist (11th grade RW 460 / Math 510; 10th grade RW 430 / Math 480 per the 2022 overview – table layout flattened, re-check).
Dates for 2026 to 2027
| Year | What | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | school window | Thu, 1 October 2026 to Fri, 30 October 2026 |
| 2026-27 | saturday option | Sat, 17 October 2026 |
Schools choose a school day in the window; students do not register with College Board.
Dates from satsuite.collegeboard.org. Dates can change: check before you plan.
Not yet confirmed by us: Which grade’s PSAT/NMSQT counts for National Merit entry – official NMSC/College Board pages could not be read.; PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10 and PSAT 8/9 break length and per-domain shares not on the pages read (SAT has a 10-minute break).. Check the official documents.
Official pages
Facts checked against: satsuite.collegeboard.org, satsuite.collegeboard.org, satsuite.collegeboard.org, satsuite.collegeboard.org.
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Test details checked against College Board on 2026-10-20. Always check the official page. We show facts only (sections, question counts, timings, score scales, dates) with summaries in our own words; no test questions, passages or practice tests are reproduced.
PSAT/NMSQT® is a registered trademark of the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which are not affiliated with, and do not endorse, this site. SAT® is a trademark registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this site.
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