Students woke up early on Saturday, Oct. 15 to take the PSAT at Milford High School. Sophomores in AP or honors classes and all juniors are encouraged to take the practice test.
This great opportunity only costs $19.
The PSAT is developed for the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation by “ETS” (Educational Testing Service). It’s a practice test measuring critical reading, math and writing skills.
“I thought the PSAT was a great learning experience for me,” said Junior Chris Housel.
Some parents strongly urge their children to take the PSAT because it’s not used to grant admission to colleges, but can be used to earn scholarships. Juniors can submit their scores to the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Even students who don’t win scholarships get positive recognition for their achievements. Any type of positive recognition can help students get into the college of their choice.
This is especially true because admission into college is more competitive today than ever before. Most highly selective colleges now accept only about a third or fewer of their applicants, according to the U.S. Department of Education. “Students who score in the top 1percent may have the opportunity for a full ride to the college of their choice,” said counselor Gina Pryor.
The test gives feedback on skills needed to get ready for college. “It really prepared me for other tests,” said Junior Mikaela Jaklic after taking the PSAT. It’s good practice for students planning to take the SAT.
Early practice helps to know what to expect later on. Both tests have the same types of questions, mainly critical thinking, with some math.
“It’s also good practice for the MME,” said Daniel Dean, an administrator of the PSAT.
A great advantage is that the scores don’t count against a student. It’s all about practice and preparation. Students receive score reports in December. The reports show answers given and correct answers so students know areas where they struggled.
According to College Prep Coach, a website with tips on test taking strategies, most students will take the SAT and/or ACT and it is best to start preparing ahead of time. “The SAT was THE test when I was in high school,” Dean said.
This test may seem like the more difficult one because of the reasoning-based questions.
There is also a quarter point penalty for every wrong answer.
College Prep Coach explained that when taking the test, it is best to guess.
You only have to guess correctly once to score back four incorrect guesses and chances are that will happen.
“The PSAT gets you used to the pressured atmosphere of test anxiety while being timed,” said Pryor.
While some people prefer to spend huge amounts of money on preparation classes, many opt to take the PSAT. Valuable experience and knowledge can be gained from this practice test.