PSAT/NMSQT
How can I take the PSAT/NMSQT with accommodations?
If you have a documented disability you may be eligible for accommodations on College Board tests. A Student Eligibility Form needs to be submitted by you requesting accommodations. To be eligible, you must:
- have a disability that necessitates testing accommodations,
- have documentation on file at school that supports the need for requested accommodations and meets the Guidelines for Documentation, and
- receive and use the requested accommodations, due to the disability, for school-based tests.
If all of the above criteria are not met, you may still be eligible for accommodations on College Board tests. You may send your disability documentation with the Student Eligibility Form to the address provided on page 8 of the Instructions for Completing the Student Eligibility Form (see Introduction) and the College Board will review the documentation and make a determination. The disability documentation will need to address all the requested information in the Documentation Guidelines.
Please be aware of all deadlines for submitting the Student Eligibility Form (See Important Dates for PSAT/NMSQT).
What happens if I enter a new school in the fall and want to take the PSAT/NMSQT with accommodations?
In the public school setting, if you transfer within the same district (e.g. from middle school to high school; from one high school to another) you do not need to repeat the eligibility process for accommodations on College Board tests if the receiving school verifies that you continue to receive the same accommodations on school-based testing as in your previous school. The receiving high school can send a note on school letterhead informing the College Board (address on page 8 of the Instructions) of your transfer and continuation of the same accommodations. If you transfer from a private school to another private school, from a public to a private school, or from another district, a new Student Eligibility Form will need to be completed and forwarded to the College Board.
How will I be notified once I am approved?
In late August, the College Board sends all SSD Coordinators a list of students currently approved for accommodations at their schools.
About five weeks prior to the PSAT/NMSQT test dates, your school will receive a Nonstandard Administration Report (NAR) form, pre-filled with all the approved students. This list includes those students who indicated on page 1 of the Student Eligibility Form they may be taking the PSAT/NMSQT.
What's new for 2004?
Students taking the test with accommodations will take the test with section timing. This means that each section of the test will have a start time and finish time. If extended time is an approved accommodation, it will be applied to each section of the test separately. How the sections are timed is detailed below, using standard as well as 50% or 100% extended time administrations.
| Section | Standard Time | 50% Extended Time | 100% Extended Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Reading (2 sections) | 25 minutes Per section | 38 minutes Per section | 50 minutes Per section |
| Math (2 sections) | 25 minutes Per section | 38 minutes Per section | 50 minutes Per section |
| Writing Skills (1 section) | 30 minutes | 45 minutes | 60 minutes |
