The PSATs, with Cresskill High School planning them for the week of October 27th, are right around the corner. The PSAT, or the Preliminary SAT, is a standardized test that helps high school sophomores and juniors familiarize themselves with the SAT format and measure the knowledge and skills they already have, so that they can then improve on their weaknesses. Its two main sections are Reading & Writing and Math, which uses multistage adaptive testing; essentially, this means the test is sectioned into multiple modules. The initial questions gauge the student’s ability level. Based on this performance, the following modules customize their difficulty, allowing for precise measures of ability and individualized testing. The school administration is urging sophomore and junior students to take the PSAT seriously, encouraging prior studying and practice, but why should they?
The reason varies slightly based on your grade. For sophomores, the PSAT is limited to being practice for the SAT and helps students gauge reasonable SAT target scores for themselves. It has more significance for juniors because they can qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program, a non-profit academic competition run by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). If they qualify, high-achieving high school students can earn college undergraduate scholarships, which are financial awards given to students pursuing a bachelor degree. These are determined based on factors including academic merit, financial need, athleticism, or other talents. The steps unfold like so: if they take the PSAT and qualify, they may be designated as Commended Students, Semifinalists, or Finalists. They all then compete for various scholarships, including the $2,500 National Merit Scholarship, and specifically semifinalists compete to become Finalists by submitting SAT scores, high school grades, and a principal’s recommendation. By the end of the process, half of the Finalists are announced as National Merit Scholars.
To enter the National Merit Scholarship Program, juniors must take the PSAT in October and meet requirements such as being a full-time high school student who plans to enroll in college the following fall. Furthermore, qualifying to be a Finalist means earning a high Selection Index score, which is calculated from their Math and Reading & Writing scores. This score varies by state, but it usually means being in the top 1% of your state’s PSAT test-takers.
Participating in this program is valuable for multiple reasons, as it offers potential financial aid and prestigious academic recognition for becoming a Semifinalist or Finalist. In some universities, National Merit Finalists are even offered automatic admission.
Current junior Dain Kim remembers taking the PSAT as a sophomore. When prompted on her experience and emotions last year, she admits that “the studying process had its high and lows, but I definitely felt very anxious overall. I started studying about a month before it, which caused me even more test anxiety. I feel like I did not study enough, so if I were to give any advice, it would be to study early, especially since other school assignments can lead to a busy schedule. You can’t forget to study for it.” The PSAT is not a test you can take half-heartedly; in general, the PSAT was a 6/10 in difficulty for Dain, with 1 being extremely easy and 10 being extremely difficult. The Reading & Writing section was a 7/10 in difficulty while the Math section was a 5/10. In particular, Dain says that questions about scientific passages, graphs, and information were very tricky. This proves that practice makes perfect! There are plenty of online PSAT resources to practice from, such as on the College Board website, to help you feel prepared and ready for the test.
With a few weeks left, make sure to prioritize studying for the PSAT and not stressing out too much about your results. According to Dain, her PSAT score felt lower than it actually was because it was out of a lower total score than the SAT; therefore, don’t feel disheartened regardless of your results. Especially as a current sophomore, the PSAT is a no-stakes test that can provide you insight on your current skills and what you have to work on. Lastly, if you’re a junior, don’t forget to practice and be confident in your answers!
