I NEED HELP ON DETERMINiNG WHETHER THESE SCORES ARE GOOD OR NOT?

Question

I'm a sophomore this year and I just got my PSAT scores back. Here are my scores:

English- 51 ("Scored higher than 83% of sophomores")
Math- 63 ("Scored higher than 95% of sophomores)
Writing- 54 ("Scored higher than 87% of sophomores)

My total score was a 168.

Now my question is are these scores great, good, okay, or what?
I know they're not bad, but how good exactly are they? I'm looking to go to Vanderbilt in Tennessee, and so I'd like to know if that's plausible given my scores.

And I am going to take it next year obviously, so how much should my scores jump? 5 points, 10 Points???

Answer 1

Congratulations, your scores are quite good actually. You can sit down with your guidance counselor to get a good idea of how your scores compared with other students from your school. You can even send a quick email to the admissions office at Vandy and ask them this very same question. They will be glad to know that you are interested in them and will help you to set goals for making sure that you are accepted. It will also open up the lines of communication for you and those who are in the best position to help you make your college dreams a reality. Any score above the 50% is better than average. Your math is fantastic....only 5% scoring higher than you did is really well done. Also, if you are taking advanced courses, you can expect your scores to improve over the next two years. Ten points is not over what you might expect.
Good luck!

Answer 2

Dude, U score higher than me when i took the PSAT in every category - which goes to show that you are quite good. I actually scored 43 verbal, 55 math, and 49 writing skills. This damn PSAT is just a guess of how well you will do on the SAT, but it's really harmless actually. Be more worried when you get your SAT scores....I am guessing u will score between 1000-1100 on the SAT - but i could be wrong though ....good luck dude!!!