For college admissions, is an 860 on the PSAT good?

Just got my PSAT score (860) and I'm trying to gauge where I stand. Could you guys tell me how this looks from a college admissions point of view? Is this a strong score, or should I be putting extra time into prep for next year?

Congratulations on completing your PSAT! It's a great first step in preparing for the SAT and gaining insight into where you stand academically. An 860 is a solid start, especially if this is your first attempt. The PSAT serves as a practice for the SAT and gives you a benchmark for the areas where you may need to focus your study efforts.

From an admissions perspective, the PSAT score itself is not usually considered since it's more of a preparatory test. However, it can be indicative of how you might perform on the SAT, which is a score that colleges will review. For competitive admissions, you typically want to aim for a score within or above the middle 50% range of SAT scores for admitted students at the colleges of your interest. Often, this means aiming for a score of 1200 or more.

I recommend you begin preparing for next year's PSAT, as improvement can lead not only to a higher SAT score but also potential National Merit Scholarship recognition if your score is within the top percentile. Use this PSAT experience as a learning opportunity to identify specific areas you need to work on and consider test prep resources, practice tests, and studying strategies tailored to those areas.