Can someone explain PSAT score percentiles to me?

I got my PSAT score back, but I'm having trouble understanding the percentiles. How exactly do they work?

Certainly, I'd be happy to help explain PSAT score percentiles. Percentiles rank your performance compared to other test takers. For example, if you are in the 70th percentile, it means you performed better than 70% of the test-takers.

In more detail, the PSAT score report includes two types of percentiles: User and Nationally Representative Sample. The User Percentile compares your scores to the scores of typical U.S. students in a particular grade level who typically take the PSAT. The Nationally Representative Sample Percentile attempts to represent all U.S. students in a grade, not just those who took the PSAT, including those who didn't take the test at all.

Generally speaking, the User Percentile is the one that is more relevant to compare yourself against other students who are actually preparing and likely to apply to college.

Remember, PSAT scores are mainly used to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship and to provide an idea of how you might perform on the actual SAT. So use your percentiles as guidance to identify your strength and improvement areas to focus on as you study for the SAT. For example, if your math percentile is significantly lower than your reading and writing percentile, it indicates that you should perhaps allocate more study time to math.

It's also worth noting that percentiles can change from year to year, as they depend on how every student performed in a given year. Your percentile might be slightly different if you take the PSAT again next year, even if you get the same score.