Students are preparing to take the annual Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test in the gym on Oct. 14 at 7:15 a.m.
Students are required to bring a fully charged school device and portable charger for exam day; although, there is no guarantee of access to outlets since the test will take place in the gym. Participants also need to bring their ID card, #2 pencils, a calculator, and a snack and drink for the designated break period. Items such as cell phones, smart watches, protractors, compasses, rulers, highlighters, colored pens or pencils and papers of any kind are strictly prohibited.
The exam is expected to end around noon and will be held on the Bluebook app which is already installed on school Chromebooks. Once students have completed the pre-test portion which consists of a survey, they are encouraged to take the independent practice PSAT exam.
Benefits associated with taking the PSAT as a junior include the possibility of qualifying for the National Merit Scholarship program, prep for the SAT exam, and connections to AP courses provided by the score report.
Guidance Technician, Mrs. Wood, shared that “taking the PSAT in grade 10 is for practice only. It is the junior year where students can qualify for National Merit Scholarships through their performance on the PSAT. A student doesn’t have to take the PSAT as a sophomore in order to prepare for the PSAT or SAT. There are PSAT, SAT and ACT practice exams available through Futureology throughout the school year.”
The PSAT is known to be slightly easier than the SAT because it is designed as a practice test to introduce students to the subjects and test structure. It is also shorter by a few questions or about 15 minutes.
When comparing the PSAT to the SAT, Mrs. Wood notes that “the PSAT and the SAT are almost identical. The PSAT is fifteen minutes shorter than the SAT, doesn’t include an essay, and is scored on a slightly different scale. Otherwise, the PSAT has the same question types and tests the same knowledge areas as the SAT.”
Maddie Nguyen (11) shared, “I feel pretty good about the PSAT, having taken AP exams last year and an SAT this year so I know I have the endurance for it. As for the content, I have been using Khan Academy to prepare for the SAT, and I hope that practice will carry over to the PSAT. And good luck charms and good snacks will definitely play a part too.”
Mrs. Wood further noted, “We have had multiple Commended Scholars as well as National Merit Semi-Finalists over the past several years from taking the PSAT. Additionally, all students will get a base score of what their SAT score might look like and where their strengths and areas for improvement are on the exam.”
If you missed registration for the 2023 PSAT, you can still take advantage of the practice SAT tests being offered by Futureology.
