How to Check PSAT Scores: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

To check your PSAT scores, use one of three places: the BigFuture School app (sign in with the mobile number you gave on test day), your College Board account at studentscores.collegeboard.org, or the PDF score report your school can download for you. Fall 2026 PSAT/NMSQT scores reach students on October 22, November 5, or November 12, depending on when your school submitted its tests.

This guide covers the steps for each option, what to do if you are under 13 or did not give a phone number, what your school sees and when, and how to fix a missing score. For the release schedule itself, see when PSAT scores come out.

Where to Find PSAT Scores: The Three Places

College Board's instructions for in-school testing name two main options, the BigFuture School app and a copy of your score report from your school, and add that students 13 and older can also use a personal College Board account for more detail. Side by side:

How to Check PSAT Scores in the BigFuture School App

BigFuture School is College Board's free app for students 13 and older who take the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, PSAT 8/9, or SAT School Day at a U.S. school. It is on the App Store and Google Play. According to College Board's BigFuture School page, this is how it works if you entered a mobile number during exam setup in Bluebook:

1. Watch for a text after test day. College Board sends a download link and a secure code. Texts come from the short code 26936 and are sent outside school hours, starting at 6:00 p.m. ET.
2. Download the app and enter your mobile number. Use the same number you gave during testing. You will get a verification code by text to finish signing in.
3. Wait for the score alert. You get another text when your scores are available in the app.
4. Open the app. Your total score appears first, followed by section scores, percentile comparisons, performance score bands for each content area, and your NMSC Selection Index.

If you have not tested yet (the fall window runs October 1–30, 2026), entering a mobile number during exam setup is the simplest way to set this up. It is optional.

What if you did not give a phone number on test day?

You can still get into the app. College Board says you can sign in with your test registration number and then add a mobile number for future access. Its login help page points students to bfsaccess.collegeboard.org for this. You can find the registration number on your test ticket, on your PDF score report, or in your online College Board score report. If you have none of those, your counselor can get you a copy of your score report.

One thing trips up many students: the app is not connected to your College Board password. College Board's help page says your personal College Board account and your account for the app "are separate." You sign in to the app with your phone number or registration number.

If you have seen older advice about entering an "access code" to see PSAT scores, College Board's current instructions for in-school scores do not mention one. The number to keep is your test registration number.

How to See PSAT Scores in Your College Board Account

Students 13 and older who have a personal College Board account can sign in at studentscores.collegeboard.org, the student score reporting portal.

College Board's Fall 2026 PSAT/NMSQT Understanding Scores guide lists what the portal adds beyond the PDF:

• More percentiles: how you rank among testers in your country, in your state, and among all testers.
• Average-score comparisons: your scores next to the averages for your school, district, and state, where those apply.
• Section benchmarks: whether you met the grade-level readiness benchmark in each section.
• A deeper skills view: your performance across seven score bands in each content domain, with example questions from the next band up.
• A link to practice: My Practice builds question sets from your test results.

If you plan to study from your results, the account view is the most useful. Our PSAT percentiles guide explains how to read the different percentile types.

How to Get Your Score Report From Your School

Every school that gives the PSAT/NMSQT can download an official PDF, titled Your Score Report, for each test taker through College Board's K–12 score reporting portal. On its BigFuture School page, College Board says "you can always get your score report from your school."

This is the route for:

• Students under 13. The app and personal College Board accounts are for students 13 and older. The Understanding Scores guide says a student under 13 can talk to their school counselor to see the full score report.
• Students without a phone, or who would rather not use the app.
• Families. College Board does not describe a separate parent login for PSAT scores. The guide says students can review the PDF with educators at their school "and share it with their families."

Ask your counselor or the person who ran testing at your school. Schools decide how and when to share the PDFs, so it is fine to ask.

What Your School Sees, and When

Your school gets scores two days before you do. College Board's score release dates page lists a separate date for the K–12 score reporting portal in each wave:

So if you are waiting and want to know which wave you are in, your counselor is the person to ask. In the portal, educators see the PDF score reports plus additional insights about each student's results. If your school gives the PSAT/NMSQT as part of a state testing program, College Board says to check with your state for timing, since it may differ. For time-of-day questions and the National Merit timeline, see our PSAT score release guide.

What Your PSAT Score Report Shows

Once you are in, this is what you are looking at, per the Understanding Scores guide:

A few reading tips:

• The percentile is for your grade. Tenth graders get the 10th-grade percentile and eleventh graders get the 11th-grade one.
• The Selection Index is on a different scale from your total. College Board's example: a 620 in Reading and Writing and a 500 in Math give a Selection Index of 174. Our PSAT score calculator does the math for any score.
• An asterisk next to the Selection Index means you did not meet National Merit entry requirements or the score is for guidance only. College Board notes that almost all National Merit entrants are juniors, so a sophomore should treat the Selection Index as practice.

To judge the numbers themselves, see the PSAT score range, what counts as a good PSAT score, and how the Selection Index relates to National Merit Commended Scholar status.

PSAT Scores Missing? Troubleshooting

The most common situations, with the fixes College Board gives on its BigFuture School help pages:

Two more things to know. The app only holds in-school test scores from October 2023 onward, so older results live in your College Board account. And if you believe you should have access but cannot get in, College Board's support line for the app is 866-630-9305, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. For anything about the score itself, College Board's advice is to ask your school or counselor first.

What to Do Once You Have Your Score

Checking the score takes two minutes. Using it takes a little longer:

1. Pick your two weakest content domains. That is where practice pays off fastest.
2. Translate the score. The PSAT and SAT share a score scale, so your result is a starting estimate for the SAT. See our PSAT to SAT score conversion guide.
3. Start short, regular practice. Larry Learns has 25,000+ SAT and ACT practice questions on web, iPhone, and Android, and the free plan includes 3 quizzes and 3 AI explanations a day.

Frequently Asked Questions About Checking PSAT Scores

How do I check my PSAT scores?

Open the BigFuture School app and sign in with the mobile number you gave during testing, sign in to your College Board account at studentscores.collegeboard.org, or ask your school counselor for your PDF score report. Fall 2026 scores are released to students on October 22, November 5, or November 12.

Where can I find my PSAT scores without the app?

In your College Board account at studentscores.collegeboard.org if you are 13 or older, or from your school. College Board says schools receive a PDF score report for every student, and you can always ask for yours.

Can I see my PSAT scores if I am under 13?

Yes, through your school. The BigFuture School app and personal College Board accounts are for students 13 and older, so your counselor can show you your full score report.

Do I need a College Board account to see PSAT scores?

No. The BigFuture School app uses your mobile number or test registration number instead of a College Board login, and your school can give you the PDF. A College Board account gives you extra detail if you want it.

Can my counselor see my PSAT scores before I can?

Yes. Schools get scores in the K–12 score reporting portal two days before each student release: October 20, November 3, and November 10, 2026.

Why can't I see my PSAT score yet?

Most often your school is in a later release wave. Scores come out by the date your school submitted answers, so a school that submitted after October 9 gets scores on November 5 or November 12. If your wave has passed, ask your counselor.

When your score arrives, put it to work. Try a free practice quiz on the same skills the PSAT measures, or create a free account to track your progress toward the SAT.