• 98 questions

PSAT Practice Test

Unofficial practice for the PSAT/NMSQT in the eight content areas the College Board describes, at one real test's length.

Which expression is a factored form of x² − 9x + 20?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

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Exam mode: 98 questions, 134 minutes.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the College Board or National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Bank checked October 9, 2026.

The real test, as the College Board describes it

Questions
98
Time limit
134 minutes
Reading and Writing
54 questions in 64 minutes: two modules of 32 minutes. Each question has its own short text.
Math
44 questions in 70 minutes: two modules of 35 minutes. A calculator is allowed on every question.
Scores
Total: 320 to 1520. Each section: 160 to 760. The SAT's run from 400 to 1600 and 200 to 800, on the same scale.
National Merit
The Selection Index runs from 48 to 228: twice the Reading and Writing score plus the Math score, divided by 10.

Checked October 9, 2026 against What's on the PSAT/NMSQT, How the SAT Is Structured, What Do My SAT Suite Scores Mean? and the Assessment Framework for the Digital SAT Suite (version 4), College Board (satsuite.collegeboard.org). Rules change, so confirm with the agency itself before your test.

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All 98 questions

Craft and Structure 15

  • Because the Arrow River shifts its course a little each spring, any map of its banks is ______: accurate for a season, then slowly out of date. Which word or phrase fits the blank most logically and precisely? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Words in Context. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Botanist Ilse Verhoek expected the mountain moss to die when she moved it to the warm greenhouse. Instead it proved remarkably ______, putting out new shoots within a week and covering the tray by the end of the month. Which word or phrase fits the blank most logically and precisely? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Words in Context. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Critics once dismissed painter Odile Marchetti's late canvases as careless. A new exhibition aims to ______ that view, using her sketchbooks to show that every seemingly random stroke was planned. Which word or phrase fits the blank most logically and precisely? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Words in Context. The text printed with the question is the only source.
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Craft and Structure, continued

  • The engineer's report was anything but vague. It ______ the exact bolts that had worked loose, the date each was last inspected, and the order in which they should be replaced. Which word or phrase fits the blank most logically and precisely? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Words in Context. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • The first library in Marrow Creek was ______: one room above a feed store, with two shelves and a single chair. Even so, residents lined up each Saturday to borrow its few dozen books. Which word or phrase fits the blank most logically and precisely? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Words in Context. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • For decades the lighthouse at Pell Point was kept by one family. Each evening a keeper climbed its 96 steps to light the lamp. When the lamp was automated, the last keeper, Ruth Anselm, stayed on as a guide, telling visitors what the climb had been like. Which choice best names the text's main purpose? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Text Structure and Purpose. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Growers at Dunmore Orchard compared two pruning schedules. Trees pruned in winter yield nearly twice as many apples as trees pruned in summer, they found. In this text, which meaning is closest for the word "yield"? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Words in Context. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Many bakers at the Calloway market set out their bread at dawn, assuming that early shoppers buy the most. But the market's own counts show that its busiest hour is noon. A baker who waits can sell loaves still warm from the oven. Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the text as a whole? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Text Structure and Purpose. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Nadia set the last bowl on the shelf and stepped back. Three months ago her bowls had leaned like tired fence posts. These stood straight, their rims even. She did not smile, exactly, but she stayed to look a moment longer than she needed to. Which choice best names the text's main purpose? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Text Structure and Purpose. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • The oldest ledger in the Varn Harbor archive lists every ship that docked there in a single year. Historian Leto Okafor noticed that the clerk recorded cargo for foreign ships but not for local ones. She concluded that the ledger was kept to collect import taxes, not to track traffic. Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Text Structure and Purpose. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Text 1: City planner Mara Voss argues that the new bike lanes on Fenn Street have failed, since car traffic there has not dropped. Text 2: A neighborhood survey found that the number of residents cycling to work on Fenn Street tripled after the lanes opened, and that most of the new cyclists used to take the bus. Based on the texts, how would the authors of the survey most likely respond to Voss? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Cross-Text Connections. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Text 1: Early reviewers of the novel A Season at Marl House called its long descriptions of weather a distraction from the plot. Text 2: Scholar Imre Castellan points out that each storm in the novel arrives just before a character makes a major decision, so the weather passages work as signals to the reader. How would Castellan most likely respond to the early reviewers? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Cross-Text Connections. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Tomas was reserved at his first rehearsal, speaking only when the director asked him a question. By opening night, though, he was trading jokes with the whole cast. In this text, which meaning is closest for the word "reserved"? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Words in Context. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • The two inventors' notebooks ______ each other: where one records only measurements, the other fills in the reasons behind each experiment, so that together they tell the full story. Which word or phrase fits the blank most logically and precisely? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Words in Context. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • When the Harlow Bridge closed for repairs, ferry owner Dev Sandhu expected a quiet summer. Instead, commuters filled every crossing. Sandhu added a second boat, then a third, and by August he had hired six new deckhands. Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Craft and Structure (about 28% of the section), Text Structure and Purpose. The text printed with the question is the only source.

Information and Ideas 14

  • A club timed four paper airplane designs. Average time in the air: Dart, 2.1 seconds; Stunt, 3.0 seconds; Wide-wing, 4.2 seconds; Glider, 4.8 seconds. The Glider and the Wide-wing are built for slow, level flight and the Dart for speed. A member claims that the slow designs far outlasted the fast one. Which choice best uses the data to support the claim? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Information and Ideas (about 26% of the section), Command of Evidence: Quantitative. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • A library counted visits before and after it extended its hours. Average daily visits before and after: weekdays, 310 and 325; Saturdays, 280 and 450; Sundays, 0 (closed) and 390. The director says the change mattered most on weekends. Which choice best uses the data to support the director's statement? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Information and Ideas (about 26% of the section), Command of Evidence: Quantitative. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • A student claims that in the novel The Ferry at Low Water, the captain's kindness is shown through his actions rather than his words. Which quotation from the novel would best support the student's claim? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Information and Ideas (about 26% of the section), Command of Evidence: Textual. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Bakers at the Linden Street co-op noticed that loaves left to rise near the oven rose faster than loaves left by the door, though both were cut from the same batch of dough. Since the only difference was where the loaves sat, the bakers concluded that ______ Which choice fills the blank most logically? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Information and Ideas (about 26% of the section), Inferences. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Each fall, volunteers in the village of Sorrel Bend count the swifts roosting in the old mill chimney. The count began as one teacher's class project. Forty years later it draws hundreds of people, and researchers use its records to follow the birds' numbers. Which choice best sums up the text's main idea? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Information and Ideas (about 26% of the section), Central Ideas and Details. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Ecologist Renn Tavish hypothesizes that the frogs of Miller Pond call less on nights when the nearby road is busy because traffic noise drowns them out, not because of the headlights. Which finding, if true, would most directly support Tavish's hypothesis? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Information and Ideas (about 26% of the section), Command of Evidence: Textual. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Historian Pia Lindqvist argues that the market town of Osterhill grew mainly because of its bridge, not its mines. Which finding, if true, would most directly support Lindqvist's argument? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Information and Ideas (about 26% of the section), Command of Evidence: Textual. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • In a trial at Aldous Farm, half the tomato rows were covered with straw and half were left bare. The covered rows needed watering once a week; the bare rows needed it every other day. Both produced about the same weight of tomatoes. According to the text, what was one difference between the two kinds of rows? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Information and Ideas (about 26% of the section), Central Ideas and Details. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Linguist Amadou Serrat found that children in the port town of Vale learn to count in two languages at once and switch between them without confusion. Adults who move to Vale hear both systems daily, yet they rarely pick up the second one. Serrat therefore suggests that ______ Which choice fills the blank most logically? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Information and Ideas (about 26% of the section), Inferences. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Mr. Abara had run the corner repair shop for thirty years and had never once advertised. "A fixed radio talks for itself," he liked to say. When the shop next door hung a bright new sign, he simply polished his window and went back to work. Based on the text, what is most likely true of Mr. Abara? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Information and Ideas (about 26% of the section), Central Ideas and Details. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Potter Yuna Ibarra fires her pots in a wood kiln for three days. Ash from the burning wood settles on the clay and melts into a glaze, so no two pots come out alike. Ibarra says she gave up store-bought glazes because the kiln "makes better choices than I do." According to the text, why do no two of Ibarra's pots look alike? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Information and Ideas (about 26% of the section), Central Ideas and Details. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • The Tessaly Canal was dug to carry grain, but trains soon carried grain faster. For a century the canal sat nearly unused. Today its towpath is the region's most popular walking trail, and the old lock houses have become cafés. Which choice best sums up the text's main idea? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Information and Ideas (about 26% of the section), Central Ideas and Details. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Three copies of an old map of Calder Bay survive, all printed from the same plate. Two show a small island at the mouth of the bay; the third does not. Close study of the third copy reveals scratch marks in the paper where the island would be. The most reasonable inference is that ______ Which choice fills the blank most logically? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Information and Ideas (about 26% of the section), Inferences. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Visitors who took the guided tour of the Hale Museum spent an average of two hours inside, while those who explored alone spent forty minutes. Yet both groups rated their visit equally highly. This suggests that, for these visitors, ______ Which choice fills the blank most logically? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Information and Ideas (about 26% of the section), Inferences. The text printed with the question is the only source.

Standard English Conventions 14

  • Before the dam was ______ the valley flooded nearly every spring. Which choice fills the blank in keeping with the conventions of Standard English? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Standard English Conventions (about 26% of the section), Boundaries. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Extended Rules for Using Commas.
  • The box of antique maps ______ on the top shelf of the archive. Which choice fills the blank in keeping with the conventions of Standard English? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Standard English Conventions (about 26% of the section), Form, Structure, and Sense: subject-verb agreement. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Making Subjects and Verbs Agree.
  • Calder ______ designed the town's first public garden in a vacant lot. Which choice fills the blank in keeping with the conventions of Standard English? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Standard English Conventions (about 26% of the section), Boundaries. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Extended Rules for Using Commas.
  • The committee chose the ______ used the fewest materials. Which choice fills the blank in keeping with the conventions of Standard English? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Standard English Conventions (about 26% of the section), Boundaries. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Extended Rules for Using Commas.
  • The first prototype weighed nine ______ the second weighed less than four. Which choice fills the blank in keeping with the conventions of Standard English? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Standard English Conventions (about 26% of the section), Boundaries. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Identifying Independent and Dependent Clauses.
  • The glassblower turns the pipe ______ gravity would otherwise pull the molten glass out of shape. Which choice fills the blank in keeping with the conventions of Standard English? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Standard English Conventions (about 26% of the section), Boundaries. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Identifying Independent and Dependent Clauses.
  • Hoping to finish before the storm, ______ Which choice fills the blank in keeping with the conventions of Standard English? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Standard English Conventions (about 26% of the section), Form, Structure, and Sense: subject-modifier placement. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Dangling Modifiers and How To Correct Them.
  • Last spring the students planted forty saplings along the creek, and by autumn most of the young trees ______ taller than the fence. Which choice fills the blank in keeping with the conventions of Standard English? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Standard English Conventions (about 26% of the section), Form, Structure, and Sense: verb tense and aspect. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Verb Tense Consistency.
  • Marguerite packed only three things for the ______ a compass, a canteen, and her grandfather's field guide. Which choice fills the blank in keeping with the conventions of Standard English? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Standard English Conventions (about 26% of the section), Boundaries. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Brief Overview of Punctuation.
  • The mural, ______ by three generations of the Okoro family, covers the entire north wall. Which choice fills the blank in keeping with the conventions of Standard English? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Standard English Conventions (about 26% of the section), Form, Structure, and Sense: verb finiteness. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Participles.
  • The museum will reopen once ______ new wing is finished. Which choice fills the blank in keeping with the conventions of Standard English? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Standard English Conventions (about 26% of the section), Form, Structure, and Sense: plurals and possessives. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Apostrophe Introduction.
  • The trail was steep and ______ the scouts reached the ridge before noon. Which choice fills the blank in keeping with the conventions of Standard English? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Standard English Conventions (about 26% of the section), Boundaries. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Extended Rules for Using Commas.
  • The two ______ notebooks were found in the same drawer. Which choice fills the blank in keeping with the conventions of Standard English? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Standard English Conventions (about 26% of the section), Form, Structure, and Sense: plurals and possessives. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Apostrophe Introduction.
  • When the glaciers retreated, ______ left behind long ridges of gravel. Which choice fills the blank in keeping with the conventions of Standard English? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Standard English Conventions (about 26% of the section), Form, Structure, and Sense: pronoun-antecedent agreement. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Using Pronouns Clearly.

Expression of Ideas 11

  • A student researching a topic took these notes: • A study compared two ways of seating a class. • In rows, students asked an average of 4 questions per lesson. • In a circle, students asked an average of 9 questions per lesson. • The same teacher taught both groups. The student wants to present the study's main result. Which choice uses the notes most effectively to meet this goal? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Expression of Ideas (about 20% of the section), Rhetorical Synthesis. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • A student researching a topic took these notes: • Lina Okoye and Marc Duval both study river otters. • Okoye tracks otters by their footprints. • Duval uses motion-triggered cameras. • Both work on the Brannock River. The student's aim is to stress a difference between the two researchers. Which choice uses the notes most effectively to meet this goal? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Expression of Ideas (about 20% of the section), Rhetorical Synthesis. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • A student researching a topic took these notes: • The Halden Mill opened in 1890 as a flour mill. • It closed in 1962. • In 2005 it reopened as a community arts center. • Its original water wheel still turns beside the entrance. The student wants to emphasize how the building's use has changed. Which choice uses the notes most effectively to meet this goal? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Expression of Ideas (about 20% of the section), Rhetorical Synthesis. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • A student researching a topic took these notes: • The Sandhill Trail is 6 kilometers long. • The Ridge Trail is 6 kilometers long. • The Sandhill Trail is flat. • The Ridge Trail climbs 400 meters. The student's aim is to stress a similarity between the two trails. Which choice uses the notes most effectively to meet this goal? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Expression of Ideas (about 20% of the section), Rhetorical Synthesis. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • A student researching a topic took these notes: • The Tindall Quartet formed in 2010. • Its four members met at a summer music camp. • The quartet plays only works by living composers. • It has given the first performance of more than thirty pieces. The student wants to tell a new audience what sets the quartet's choice of music apart. Which choice uses the notes most effectively to meet this goal? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Expression of Ideas (about 20% of the section), Rhetorical Synthesis. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • The apples at Dunmore Orchard ripened two weeks early this year. ______ the harvest festival was moved from October to late September. Which transition fits the blank most logically? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Expression of Ideas (about 20% of the section), Transitions. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • The battery in the Model B lantern lasts longer than the battery in the Model A. ______ it recharges in half the time. Which transition fits the blank most logically? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Expression of Ideas (about 20% of the section), Transitions. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • The council could have repaved the whole of Mill Road. ______ it chose to repair only the worst stretch. Which transition fits the blank most logically? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Expression of Ideas (about 20% of the section), Transitions. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Koji practiced the piece at half speed for a week. ______ he raised the tempo a little each day until he could play it as written. Which transition fits the blank most logically? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Expression of Ideas (about 20% of the section), Transitions. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • The new trail map was colorful and easy to fold. ______ it left out the two bridges that hikers most need to find. Which transition fits the blank most logically? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Expression of Ideas (about 20% of the section), Transitions. The text printed with the question is the only source.
  • Several shops on Quay Street have stayed in one family for generations. The Navarro bakery, ______ has been run by the same family since the day it opened. Which transition fits the blank most logically? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Reading and Writing Section: Expression of Ideas (about 20% of the section), Transitions. The text printed with the question is the only source.

Algebra 15

  • A gym charges a one-time fee of $18 plus $12 for each month. Priya has paid the gym $114 in all. For how many months has she paid? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), linear equations in one variable. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • A line in the xy-plane has a slope of 3 and passes through the point (2, 2). Which equation represents the line? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), linear equations in two variables. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • A parking garage charges $4 to enter plus $1.50 for each hour. Which equation gives the cost C, in dollars, of parking for h hours? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), linear functions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • A school play sold 40 tickets for a total of $312. Adult tickets cost $9 and student tickets cost $6. How many adult tickets were sold? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), systems of two linear equations in two variables. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • For the linear function f, f(0) = 4, f(3) = 10 and f(6) = 16. Which equation defines f? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), linear functions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • The graph of y = −2x + 6 in the xy-plane crosses the x-axis at which point? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), linear equations in two variables. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • The height h, in centimeters, of a burning candle after t hours is given by h = 20 − 1.5t. What is the best interpretation of 1.5 in this equation? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), linear functions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • How many solutions does the system 2x + 3y = 12 and 4x + 6y = 24 have? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), systems of two linear equations in two variables. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • If 5x − 8 = 27, what is the value of x? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), linear equations in one variable. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • If x + y = 14 and x − y = 4, what is the value of x? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), systems of two linear equations in two variables. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • In the xy-plane, a line goes through the points (−1, 2) and (3, 14). What is the slope of the line? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), linear equations in two variables. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Marco has $60 to spend on T-shirts that cost $8 each. Shipping is a flat $12 for the whole order. What is the greatest number of T-shirts he can order? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), linear inequalities in one or two variables. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • What value of x satisfies 4(x − 3) = x + 9? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), linear equations in one variable. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Which equation represents a line that is parallel to the line y = (1/2)x + 3? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), linear equations in two variables. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Which inequality describes all solutions of 4x − 5 > 15? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Algebra (about 35% of the section), linear inequalities in one or two variables. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.

Advanced Math 14

  • A ball is thrown upward from the ground. Its height in meters after t seconds is modeled by h(t) = −5t² + 20t. After how many seconds does the model show the ball back on the ground? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Advanced Math (about 32.5% of the section), nonlinear functions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • An app has 200 users, and the number of users triples each year. If this continues, how many users will the app have 3 years from now? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Advanced Math (about 32.5% of the section), nonlinear functions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • For x ≠ 2, what value of x satisfies 6/(x − 2) = 3? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Advanced Math (about 32.5% of the section), nonlinear equations in one variable. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • The function f is defined by f(x) = (x + 1)² + 8. What is the least value that f takes? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Advanced Math (about 32.5% of the section), nonlinear functions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • The function f is defined by f(x) = 3 · 2^x. What does f(4) equal? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Advanced Math (about 32.5% of the section), nonlinear functions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • The value V, in dollars, of a car t years after it was bought is modeled by V = 12,000(0.85)^t. What does the number 0.85 mean in this model? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Advanced Math (about 32.5% of the section), nonlinear functions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • What are the solutions of |x − 4| = 9? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Advanced Math (about 32.5% of the section), nonlinear equations in one variable. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • What is the positive solution of x² − 3x − 28 = 0? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Advanced Math (about 32.5% of the section), nonlinear equations in one variable. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • What value of x satisfies √(x + 5) = 4? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Advanced Math (about 32.5% of the section), nonlinear equations in one variable. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Which expression is a factored form of x² − 9x + 20? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Advanced Math (about 32.5% of the section), equivalent expressions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Which expression is equivalent to (3x² − 4x + 1) + (x² + 6x − 8)? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Advanced Math (about 32.5% of the section), equivalent expressions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Which expression is equivalent to (3x²)³? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Advanced Math (about 32.5% of the section), equivalent expressions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Which expression is equivalent to (x + 6)(x − 2)? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Advanced Math (about 32.5% of the section), equivalent expressions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Which ordered pair (x, y) is a solution of the system y = x² and y = 2x + 3? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Advanced Math (about 32.5% of the section), systems of equations in two variables. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.

Problem-Solving and Data Analysis 9

  • A box holds green and yellow beads in a ratio of 3 to 4. There are 56 beads in the box. How many are green? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (about 20% of the section), ratios, rates, proportional relationships, and units. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • A cyclist rides at a steady 18 kilometers per hour. How many meters does she ride in 10 minutes? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (about 20% of the section), ratios, rates, proportional relationships, and units. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • A data set is 3, 5, 6, 7, 29. If the 29 is corrected to 9, what happens to the mean and the median? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (about 20% of the section), one-variable data: distributions and measures of center and spread. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • A jacket priced at $65 is marked 20% off. What is the sale price? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (about 20% of the section), percentages. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • A line of best fit for a scatterplot of a seedling's height is y = 2.5x + 10, where x is the number of weeks since planting and y is the height in centimeters. What height does the line predict at week 8? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (about 20% of the section), two-variable data: models and scatterplots. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • A town has 4,500 households. In a random sample of 150 of them, 36 own an electric bicycle. Based on the sample, about how many households in the town own an electric bicycle? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (about 20% of the section), inference from sample statistics. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • The mean of five quiz scores is 82. Four of the scores are 74, 78, 85 and 90. What is the fifth score? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (about 20% of the section), one-variable data: distributions and measures of center and spread. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • The number of members in a club rose from 80 to 100. By what percent did the membership increase? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (about 20% of the section), percentages. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Of 50 students, 18 play both a sport and an instrument, 12 play only a sport, 14 play only an instrument and 6 play neither. A student who plays a sport is chosen at random. What is the probability that the student also plays an instrument? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (about 20% of the section), probability and conditional probability. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.

Geometry and Trigonometry 6

  • A garden bed has the shape of a right triangle whose two shorter sides are 9 meters and 12 meters long. What is the area of the bed, in square meters? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Geometry and Trigonometry (about 12.5% of the section), area and volume. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Each edge of a cube is made 3 times as long. By what factor is the volume of the cube multiplied? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Geometry and Trigonometry (about 12.5% of the section), area and volume. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • In a right triangle, the side opposite angle A is 5 units long, the side next to angle A is 12 and the longest side is 13. What is sin A? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Geometry and Trigonometry (about 12.5% of the section), right triangles and trigonometry. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Lines m and n are parallel, and line t crosses both. One of the angles where t meets m measures 112°. What is the measure of its alternate interior angle where t meets n? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Geometry and Trigonometry (about 12.5% of the section), lines, angles, and triangles. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Triangle PQR is similar to triangle STU, with P matching S, Q matching T and R matching U. PQ = 4, ST = 10 and QR = 6. What is the length of TU? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Geometry and Trigonometry (about 12.5% of the section), lines, angles, and triangles. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • The two shorter sides of a right triangle are 12 and 35 units long. How long is the longest side? College Board, PSAT/NMSQT Math Section: Geometry and Trigonometry (about 12.5% of the section), right triangles and trigonometry. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the College Board's published description of the PSAT/NMSQT, read 2026-10-09: What's on the PSAT/NMSQT (https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/in-school-assessments/whats-on-the-test/psat-nmsqt), its pages The Reading and Writing Section and The Math Section, and the Assessment Framework for the Digital SAT Suite, version 4, September 2026 (https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/assessment-framework-for-digital-sat-suite.pdf), tables 10, 17 and A34 to A38. The bank holds 54 Reading and Writing and 44 Math questions, the counts of one real test, split over the eight content domains in the framework's shares. English rules were read in the Purdue Online Writing Lab page each question names; every Math answer was worked out a second time on 2026-10-09; each reading question is answered from the text printed in it. Licence: Questions, texts, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free PSAT practice test has 98 questions of our own in Reading and Writing and Math, each explained. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the College Board or National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Read the full guide

One test's worth, in the test's shares

The 98 questions are split as on one real test: between Reading and Writing and Math, and inside each over its four content areas, in the shares of the College Board's framework (version 4, September 2026).

The full length, timed

Exam mode gives all 98 questions 134 minutes, the real test's time, and ends with the number right in each content area.

What differs on test day

The real PSAT/NMSQT runs in the College Board's Bluebook app and adapts: a section's second half gets harder or easier. Some of its math answers are typed in. Here the questions do not adapt and each has four choices.

Questions and answers

Are these PSAT sample test questions from the real test?

No. Every question was written for this site from the College Board's published description of each content area. None is copied or reworded from a real test or an official sample question, and a result here does not predict a real score.

Is a PSAT practice test from 2017 or 2021 still the right format?

No. All PSAT testing moved to digital in fall 2023. The paper test had 139 questions in 165 minutes, with a math part that allowed no calculator. Today's is shorter and allows a calculator throughout. The 320 to 1520 scale did not change.

Is there a printable PSAT practice test with answers?

Yes. Finish a set and press Print: the question sheet can take all 98 questions, with a name and score line, and the answer key with every reason if you tick its box. Save as PDF in the print window keeps a copy.

How is the PSAT different from the SAT?

Not in length: each has 98 questions in 2 hours 14 minutes. The score scales differ, and so does the math: the College Board's framework gives the PSAT slightly more data analysis and less advanced math and geometry than the SAT.

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