Every fall, students across the nation gather in scattered classrooms to take the PSAT. The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, or PSAT for short, is a practice run of the infamous SAT. The test’s primary purpose is to serve as a precursor to the SAT and in no way affects your chances of getting accepted into college, which is why students tend to not take it seriously. But the PSAT is much more than a mere practice test that freshmen and sophomores have to suffer through and I guarantee it’s more important than you think.
The PSAT is often the first glimpse students will get of standardized testing in high school and as a result, it can give students a good idea of how they might score on the SAT. This helps students and parents know the level of preparation needed to obtain a good score. The PSAT offers real testing conditions, which can relieve test anxiety and the fear of the unknown that may affect someone during the real thing.
While the PSAT is specifically designed to prepare you for the SAT, it can also help anyone who plans on taking AP(Advanced Placement) tests in the future. The same organization, College Board, administers both SAT and AP exams. And though the tests are very different content wise, they are framed and executed almost identically. Taking the PSAT will only help your chances on any future AP tests because scoring well on the PSAT is a good indicator of scoring well on AP exams.
Another reason as to why this test really matters is the scholarships you can receive because of it. The National Merit Scholarship Program uses your scores from the PSAT to qualify you for an enormous amount of scholarships available to help pay for the cost of college tuition. While the value of the National Merit Scholarship is typically a one-time award of $2,500, many schools and companies offer more significant amounts to students who are finalists, with some colleges offering $2,000 annually and some companies even offering as much as $10,000.
This is why it is vital that you make enough time to study for the PSAT, take practice tests, and do everything you can do to score well on the PSAT. The higher score you get the more likely you are to get scholarships, which in the end makes taking the PSAT worth it. So next time you think of complaining about this “pointless test”, remember just how important it really is.
The PSAT is often the first glimpse students will get of standardized testing in high school and as a result, it can give students a good idea of how they might score on the SAT. This helps students and parents know the level of preparation needed to obtain a good score. The PSAT offers real testing conditions, which can relieve test anxiety and the fear of the unknown that may affect someone during the real thing.
While the PSAT is specifically designed to prepare you for the SAT, it can also help anyone who plans on taking AP(Advanced Placement) tests in the future. The same organization, College Board, administers both SAT and AP exams. And though the tests are very different content wise, they are framed and executed almost identically. Taking the PSAT will only help your chances on any future AP tests because scoring well on the PSAT is a good indicator of scoring well on AP exams.
Another reason as to why this test really matters is the scholarships you can receive because of it. The National Merit Scholarship Program uses your scores from the PSAT to qualify you for an enormous amount of scholarships available to help pay for the cost of college tuition. While the value of the National Merit Scholarship is typically a one-time award of $2,500, many schools and companies offer more significant amounts to students who are finalists, with some colleges offering $2,000 annually and some companies even offering as much as $10,000.
This is why it is vital that you make enough time to study for the PSAT, take practice tests, and do everything you can do to score well on the PSAT. The higher score you get the more likely you are to get scholarships, which in the end makes taking the PSAT worth it. So next time you think of complaining about this “pointless test”, remember just how important it really is.