The week we returned from our much-needed winter break, sophomores and juniors finally received their PSAT scores after taking the test in October. Many people felt nervous about knowing their results while others forgot about even taking the test. Though students may have had different feelings about their PSAT results, most everyone had the same thought after seeing the much-anticipated number: So what does this mean?

The PSAT is scored on a scale of 0 to 240. Eighty points are possible for each section – math, critical reading and writing. The SAT, to compare, is on a 2400 scale. To get a good idea of what you would earn on your SAT, just add a zero to the end of your PSAT score.

So how do you know if you got a “good” score? It really depends on your goals for the future. It is possible to get into nice colleges with a 1500 on the SAT, earning about two-thirds of the possible points in each section. Other schools, however, will require higher scores. For an idea of what kinds of colleges accept certain kinds of scores, let’s look at the state of Texas as an example:

Scores of 25%-75% of enrolled students:

• Baylor: 1650-1980

• Rice: 2020-2290

• St. Edwards: 1510-1833

• Texas A&M: 1580-1920

• Texas Tech: 1490-1780

• UT Austin: 1670-2060

• UT Dallas (not including writing): 1160-1390

There are many things you can do after discovering your PSAT scores, but the first thing you should do is set a goal. If you know where you want to go, it will be easier to get there. Whether it is setting an ideal SAT score or having a certain college you want to get into, having a goal is the first step to take when planning for the future.

If you want to improve upon your score, try buying an SAT study guide or taking an SAT preparation class to teach the skills needed to be successful on the test. If critical reading is your weak spot, increasing reading time as well as studying vocabulary will help. Study guides and math teachers are probably good assistants for those tricky math questions, and everything related to geometry (because, let’s face it, it’s been two years since we have even thought about triangles). There’s also this handy app by CollegeBoard called “The Official SAT Question of the Day,” which provides a previously used SAT question every day.

SAT scores play an important role in the admissions processes, but that does not mean that getting a lower score on your PSAT is the end of the world. Many sophomores and juniors still have months to prepare, and the SAT can be taken as many times as you like, though it costs money each time.

The only thing we can do from here is work towards improvement until we reach the goals we set for our future.