What is the highest PSAT score?
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The highest possible PSAT score is 1520, which represents a perfect performance on the test. This composite score is achieved by earning the maximum 760 points on both the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) section and the Math section. The PSAT uses the same 160-760 point range per section as the SAT but caps the total at 1520 instead of 1600, making it 80 points lower than a perfect SAT score to reflect its slightly easier content.

Achieving a perfect 1520 is exceptionally rare, placing students in the 99th percentile nationwide and virtually guaranteeing National Merit Scholarship qualification in any state. Only a tiny fraction of the roughly 3.5 million students who take the PSAT annually reach this score. For perspective, scoring 1480 or above still puts you in the top 1% of all test takers, demonstrating that you don't need perfection to achieve elite status.

The scoring structure differs slightly for the PSAT 8/9, which is designed for younger students. This version has a maximum score of 1440 (720 per section), scaled down an additional 80 points to account for grade-appropriate content. However, when people reference "the highest PSAT score," they typically mean the PSAT/NMSQT that juniors take for National Merit consideration, where 1520 represents the absolute pinnacle of achievement.

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