PSAT total score - how important is it really?

Hey y'all, I got my PSAT scores back, and I'm not too sure how to feel about them. From what I've gathered, it's used to determine National Merit Scholarship eligibility, but beyond that, does my overall score actually matter? Do colleges look at it during admissions?

In the grand scheme of things, your PSAT score isn't a major factor in college admissions. The PSAT is primarily a practice test for the SAT, and it's used to identify National Merit Scholars. While being a National Merit Scholar can look good on your college application and potentially earn you some scholarships, the PSAT score itself isn't something that colleges typically look at during the application review process.

That being said, a high PSAT score can indicate to you that you're likely to do well on the SAT, as the two exams are very similar. Conversely, if your PSAT score was lower than you hoped, it might suggest that you'll need to do some targeted studying before taking the SAT.

So while your PSAT score isn't directly considered by colleges in admissions, it should be viewed as a diagnostic tool for you. It can give you a sense of your strengths and weaknesses and help guide your test prep for the SAT – a score that colleges will, indeed, take into consideration in their admissions process (unless they are test-blind).