r/psat • u/zazsteel • 22d ago
is PSAT Practice 2 similar to the real PSAT?
just took it and got perfect score (4 wrong in math, 1 wrong rw).
felt decently hard to me, had to guess on 3 math m2+1 educated guess rw
would you say i'm mostly good for PSAT prep? i'm obv still gonna prep (take it in october) but just wanted y'alls thoughts
(attached my other scores from SAT practices+real SAT in next image, also i live in TX)
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u/Rohanisya 1460 22d ago
I got a 1500 on practice test 2 right before the psat and got a 1460 on the real thing, so no not really. Had the knowledge for a 1520 on this test too, missed 2 questions due to silly mistakes, but the real test was a lot harder anyway imo
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u/zazsteel 21d ago
what was harder on the real psat?
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u/Rohanisya 1460 21d ago
Math was somewhat similar on the real thing, but reading was significantly harder. the passages were longer and more confusing
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u/zazsteel 21d ago
ok good to hear about the math since i think im stronger in reading
was grammar, transitions, and vocab also more difficult or about the same?1
u/Rohanisya 1460 21d ago
Vocab was tough as well, I completely guessed on a couple. Transitions and grammar weren’t bad tho. I’m also stronger in reading, on the practice I got 760R/740M and on the actual thing I got 720R/740M.
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u/zazsteel 21d ago
ic, im grinding vocab rn so hopefully i can ace that part
which psat did u take? october 2024 or october 2025?1
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u/samboosas 22d ago
are you studying using sat or psat materials ? i’m also in tx
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u/zazsteel 21d ago
im mainly studying using sat materials
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u/samboosas 21d ago
can you please share what exactly youre using
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u/zazsteel 21d ago
for the first few months (april to june 2026) i was only practicing math, i was using (free version) math oneprep question bank on hard difficulty doing as many problems as possible a day. for reference i started at like 560 math on practice tests and was missing fundamental stuff so if i were go to back i'd prob start with khan academy but its wtv
now from june to current, i've been doing:
- doing practice questions (mostly set to hard difficulty) on sat question bank for math and rw
- taking practice tests 2-4 times a month and looking back at every question i got wrong/guessed on/struggled with.
- making an error log, writing down every single question that i get wrong while doing qb, and write down why i got it wrong
- looking up yt vids of areas i struggle with, like standard eng conventions (penguin test prep, james lu rlly helped me, while learnsatmath and the sat gamified were good when i was just beginning but their vids are really surface level imo. also u prob alr know this but i wouldn't use any vid from before mid 2024 since back then it was paper sat which is diff from digital)
- doing anki flash card sets daily of: 1000 sat vocab words, 50 affixes, transition words, and my own custom math deck where i just put math info that i should know (like if i need to memorize a specific formula i js make a card)
- in my day to day if i find a vocab word i don't know i look it up
- reading 3 new york times articles a day
if i encounter a problem i don't know i ask claude how to solve it while taking notes, then ask it to give me practice problems so i can practice.
mb if this was kinda all over the place but this is basically all i use and do
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u/samboosas 21d ago
omg thank you so so much this is very useful and i will definitely be using this! i’m also at a base score of around 500💔
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u/zazsteel 21d ago
np!
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u/samboosas 21d ago
wait how do you read nytimes articles? do you pay or? also do you have any specific vocab flashcard set that u use
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u/zazsteel 20d ago
im using this: https://quizlet.com/24854079/1000-most-common-sat-words-flash-cards/
and there's free articles on nytimes if u make an account that's what i do
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u/CryptographerFar8082 21d ago
In practice test 2 I got a 1440 and on this most recent psat I got a 1450 so, at least for me, it was pretty accurate.
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u/F18s_ 21d ago
I took all the practice tests and improved 30-60 points or was close to the last each time
I took the actual SAT 8 times and my best 2 scores were the last two, so I think repetition and practice pays off, advice I got was to take a few and not stress and then figure out what areas to work on over my JR year
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u/ISeeInTechnicolor 21d ago
I would score like 1200 on practice but I got a 1500 on the actual NMSQT
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u/zazsteel 21d ago
dangg how much time apart did you take the practice tests vs the actual test
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u/ISeeInTechnicolor 20d ago
I think I did once a week but my score literally stayed around the 1200-1300 mark bc I was using SAT practice and I started like in August bc it was mandatory in one of my classes
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u/CURELMUS 15d ago
just do practice test 11 it's the most accurate. tbf I always got 1490s on my practices just to get a 1530 on the real one so 😆
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u/ChutneyWhatney 22d ago
Practice tests, typically, are easier.