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65 multiple-choice questions and 250 flashcards, written to the College Board Digital PSAT/NMSQT framework blueprint. Every question carries a full rationale.
College Board Digital PSAT/NMSQT framework — 2 sections: Reading & Writing (54 questions, 64 min); Math (44 questions, 70 min). Aligned with Digital SAT content.
CoStudy's PSAT/NMSQT bank holds 315 items. Every multiple-choice question carries a written rationale explaining why the correct answer is correct and why each distractor is tempting but wrong.
A sample of 12 multiple-choice questions from the bank, with the full rationale shown.
National Merit Semifinalist status is awarded to:
Answer: C — About 16,000 students nationally based on top Selection Index scores per state — leading to Finalist and Scholarship consideration through subsequent applications
C) Defining standard. A/B/D) Each is incorrect.
PSAT Reading: Which transition best fits between contrasting ideas?
Answer: A — However (signals contrast/opposition)
Transitions categorize by logical relationship. Contrast: however, nevertheless, on the other hand. Addition: furthermore, moreover, additionally. Cause/effect: therefore, thus, consequently. Comparison: similarly, likewise.
PSAT Writing: 'The committee, including the chairperson, ___ unanimous.' Best word:
Answer: D — is (singular subject 'committee' takes singular verb; intervening phrase doesn't change agreement)
Subject-verb agreement: identify the true subject ignoring prepositional/parenthetical phrases. 'The committee...is.' Phrase 'including the chairperson' adds detail but doesn't alter agreement.
A car travels 240 miles at constant speed in 4 hours. How long does it take to travel 360 miles at the same speed?
Answer: C — 6 hours
Speed = 240/4 = 60 mph. Time = 360/60 = 6 hours. Alternative: 360/240 = 1.5, so time scales by 1.5: 4 × 1.5 = 6 hours.
PSAT Reading: When a sentence asks 'the author would most likely consider X to be...', the test wants:
Answer: D — An inference from the passage about how the author would evaluate X — consistent with author's tone and arguments
Application question: extend the author's logic to new cases. Be careful — wrong choices often misstate the author's views slightly. Use textual evidence.
A class has 25 students. The mean score on a test is 80. What is the SUM of all scores?
Answer: C — 2,000
Mean = Sum / Number → Sum = Mean × Number = 80 × 25 = 2,000. Algebra: rearrange the mean formula. Trap A is the mean itself; D is double the answer.
Students can use PSAT results to:
Answer: C — Identify strengths and weaknesses, plan SAT preparation, qualify for National Merit, and access targeted college and scholarship outreach
C) Standard uses. A/B/D) Each is incorrect.
PSAT Reading and Writing module passages cover:
Answer: C — Short passages across literature, history/social studies, humanities, and science — testing vocabulary in context, central ideas, evidence, structure, and rhetoric
C) Defining coverage. A/B/D) Each is incorrect.
The PSAT 8/9 is:
Answer: D — The early version of the digital test offered to 8th and 9th graders for early diagnostic feedback — same skills focus, generally easier on average than PSAT/NMSQT
D) Standard description. A/B/C) Each is incorrect.
A right triangle has legs 5 and 12. The hypotenuse is:
Answer: A — 13
Pythagorean theorem: c² = 5² + 12² = 25 + 144 = 169. c = 13. Memorize Pythagorean triples: 3-4-5, 5-12-13, 8-15-17, 7-24-25 — they appear frequently on PSAT.
PSAT Math: Quadratic 2x² − 8 = 0. Solutions:
Answer: A — x = ±2 (x² = 4)
Isolate x²: 2x² = 8 → x² = 4 → x = ±2. Quadratics can have 0, 1, or 2 real solutions (discriminant b² − 4ac).
To register for PSAT/NMSQT, students typically:
Answer: A — Register through their school — which administers the test on dates designated by College Board, typically in October of the school year
A) Defining procedure. B/C/D) Each is incorrect.
6 sample cards from the 250 in the bank.
Percent: 25% of 80?
20.
If x:y = 3:5 and y = 20, find x.
3/5 · 20 = 12.
Solve: x² - 7x + 12 = 0.
(x-3)(x-4) = 0 → x = 3 or 4.
Vocab: 'subtle'?
Delicate; not obvious.
Selection Index formula?
(R&W + Math + R&W) ÷ 10 — approximately, weighted toward verbal.
If x+y = 10 and x-y = 4, find x²-y².
(x+y)(x-y) = 40.
These samples are a small slice. The full bank runs flashcards, multiple choice and timed mock exams with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.
The PSAT/NMSQT bank holds 315 items: 65 multiple-choice questions, 250 flashcards. 18 of them are on this page to read free, with no signup.
Yes. Every multiple-choice item carries a written rationale that states the controlling principle behind the correct answer and then addresses each wrong option in turn — why it tempts and precisely where it fails. Knowing why the plausible answer was wrong is worth more than knowing which letter was right.
College Board Digital PSAT/NMSQT framework — 2 sections: Reading & Writing (54 questions, 64 min); Math (44 questions, 70 min). Aligned with Digital SAT content.
The samples on this page are free to read in full, rationales included, with no account. The complete 315-item bank, the timed mock exams and per-chapter progress tracking are part of CoStudy on the web and in the iOS app.
Last reviewed 2026-08-22. Banks are written against the certifying body's published exam outline and re-checked when that outline changes — exams get renumbered, retired and reweighted, and a bank written to a superseded outline teaches the wrong proportions. Figures that are re-indexed annually are deliberately not asserted as rules; the questions test the governing principle instead.