Navigating the PSAT: Is It a Mandatory Exam?
The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is often a topic of discussion among high school students and their parents. Understanding the purpose, benefits, and requirements surrounding the PSAT is crucial for making informed decisions about college preparation. In general, the PSAT is an optional test that serves mainly as practice for the SAT and for qualification for the National Merit Scholarship Program.
What is the PSAT?
The PSAT is a preliminary version of the SAT, administered by the College Board. The PSAT, administered by high schools and one of the College Board exams, can be offered in 8th, 9th, 10th, or 11th grade. Depending on what grade a student is in, the PSAT may have a different name. Eight and ninth graders will take the PSAT 8/9, specially designed for middle and early high school students. This version of the PSAT is really (really) just for practice. It reflects the relative structure and pacing of the PSAT, but it does not feature content at the level that the PSAT or the SAT would. Sophomores will take the PSAT 10, which is effectively the PSAT itself. For juniors in high school, there is the formal PSAT, which will look and feel fairly familiar if you’ve taken the PSAT 10 as a sophomore.
Is the PSAT Mandatory?
The PSAT is NOT a mandatory exam. Most high schools encourage students to take it for these reasons, but it’s not strictly required by the schools themselves. Your friend's school might be one of the few that encourages it strongly or sets it up for all students as a way to promote college readiness.
Benefits of Taking the PSAT
Even if it’s not mandatory, taking it can still be beneficial for the reasons mentioned above, but it ultimately depends on your individual goals and the policies of your school.
- Preparation for the SAT/ACT: Students should aim to take the PSAT between tenth and eleventh grade to help prepare for the SAT or ACT. This preliminary test is a great stepping stone for the SAT or ACT. Discover your teen’s strengths and weaknesses that will be measured on the SAT. Not that these have much to do with real life, but SAT is requirement for entrance at many colleges and/or the open door for many college tuition-discounts/scholarships. AND even for teens who are going to community college and don’t need the SAT for entrance, good scores help them place out of required remedial level courses.
- National Merit Scholarship Program: If a student scores in the upper echelons of their state's test-taking population, their PSAT score may qualify them for scholarship opportunities through the National Merit Scholarship competition. If you take the PSAT/NMSQT and meet other program entry requirements specified in the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide, you’ll enter the National Merit Scholarship Program, an academic competition for recognition and scholarships conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®).
- College Readiness Signal: PSAT scores will serve as an initial signal of college readiness to colleges and universities.
- College Exploration: Students who take the PSAT can release their testing data and profile to a college search service. From there, students will receive notifications from schools that are showing interest in them. Connect with Colleges and Scholarships When you take the PSAT/NMSQT, you’ll be asked for your mobile phone number so you can download the free BigFuture School mobile app and have your PSAT/NMSQT scores delivered right to your phone. Opt in to this free service to gain access to the College Match feature: a list of colleges based on your interests and colleges that have shown interest in students like you, ideal for starting college exploration.
- Skill Assessment and Improvement: When you take the PSAT/NMSQT, you’ll receive details on the exact skills and knowledge you need to focus on. If you took the PSAT 8/9 or PSAT 10, you’ll be able to measure the progress you made between these tests. Your PSAT/NMSQT score is a valuable tool when you’re deciding on your college and career goals. Then, you can review your results at mypractice.collegeboard.org. Once you know what knowledge and skills you need to work on, you can use Official Digital SAT Prep on Khan Academy®. It’s a free, interactive study tool that provides personalized practice resources focused on exactly what you need to stay on track for college and career.
- Stretching Experience: Give them a stretching experience. It is good to try new things. If they haven’t had many opportunities to walk into a room full of strangers and focus on a stressful test, this is a good place to practice. (This kind of feeling often freaks college freshmen out- even regular-schooled kids, so it is good to have a few practice sessions in high school.)
Considerations for Homeschoolers
Should my homeschooler take the PSAT? Good question. Here are my thoughts as long-time academic advisor to homeschool high schoolers (and homeschooling mom of 5 graduates).
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- Who SHOULDN’T take the PSAT: Clearly non-college-bound teen. This is a kid who will never or could never go to college. God has many different callings for many different teens. Not all of them should go to college, but instead should apply their giftings in other trades or other careers. The PSAT is a useless trauma for this teen.Completely unprepared teen.Don’t send your teen off to take the PSAT if you’ve never given him/her any exposure to the test. Visit the College Board’s site and get free prep material (but don’t go crazy about it.) Scare the pants off your homeschool high schooler.Even if your teen has been taking achievement tests, those are nothing like the ability tests in the SAT category. An experience with PSAT is often an “Oh my gosh” moment for teens. It’s a practical motivator for teens when you tell them: “I’d like you to do some SAT prep materials” or “Let’s work harder on vocabulary”.
- Preparation is Key: Do some gentle preparation if your teen is going to take the test so that he/she is familiar with it. MOSTLY, do LOTS of reading.Deep-thinking reading and classic literature is a good infrastructure for building PSAT-fortitude and vocabulary (but don’t waste good high school years only reading those wonderful categories- there’s more to life preparation than the PSATs and the SATs).
Understanding PSAT Scores
When do PSAT/NMSQT Scores Come Out? Your PSAT/NMSQT scores are available a few weeks after your test date. Learn how you can view your scores. How Do I Get My Scores? You can access your scores by asking your school counselor for a copy of your score report or access the BigFuture School mobile app. What Do I Do After I Get My Scores? After receiving your PSAT/NMSQT scores, you can explore various opportunities to shape your academic and career futures. Learn about your next steps and how you can maximize your potential. Who Sees PSAT/NMSQT Scores? We don’t send PSAT/NMSQT scores to colleges.
Preparing for the PSAT
In terms of when a student should start studying for the PSAT, it may be worthwhile to start studying in junior year. Once a student receives their final PSAT 10 or PSAT/NMSQT score report back, they should take the time to determine which standardized test is best for them. Once a student understands which full-length test they plan to take, they should start studying and preparing for the real thing. This can be done independently or with the help of a trusted Collegewise tutor.
Alternatives and Considerations
Now, aside from practice, some competitive high schools use the PSAT results for placement in advanced courses or as part of their college counseling process, but it isn’t a part of college admissions requirements. When it’s time to apply to colleges, they will be looking at your SAT or ACT scores, not your PSAT scores.
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