The PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) will be administered to sophomores and juniors at Niles West on Wednesday, Oct. 19. Freshmen and seniors will have a non-attendance day.
Students will arrive at school at the regular time, and free breakfast will be available in the cafeteria. Around 8:20 a.m., students will head to their testing classrooms; homeroom teachers will inform students which room they are in prior to testing. Preregistration will begin at 8:45 a.m. and testing will begin shortly after, at 9:00 a.m. Students will be tested in three different sections: critical reading, mathematics, and writing. Testing will be complete around 1:15 p.m. and buses will leave at 1:30.
According to college and career counselor Daniel Gin, the best test preparation for the PSAT test is just attending school on a daily basis and doing well in class.
“The best practice is just being in class every day and learning and studying,” Gin said. “In the past, the SAT used to have really big words, and students would have to study all of these words, but not anymore. Just go in with confidence and do the best you can.”
By taking the PSAT, some students plan on getting an overall feel for the test and the format in order to figure out how best to prepare for the SAT in the future.
“I’m not preparing for the PSAT, because I don’t have any resources to prep with,” junior Alejandro Vargas said. “I think taking the PSAT for the first time will help me get over my nerves for the actual thing and get me comfortable with the test formats so I can learn how to spend my studying time efficiently.”
After taking their tests, students can get their scores from the College Board website. Otherwise, they will receive their scores from their counselors in mid-January. Upon being given their scores, students that do exceptionally well can be eligible to qualify for a National Merit Scholarship.
“To be a National Merit Scholar this year, a student has to have a score of 219 or better. This would require them to be in the top half of one percent of all test takers,” Gin said. “The student who does become a National Merit scholar is recognized as one of the best test-takers in America and can earn a lot of scholarship money.”
Last year, the school offered the ACT version of the PSAT for sophomores and juniors. The change to the PSAT comes from the decision by the Illinois Board of Education to replace the ACT with the SAT this summer. Gin recommends students, especially sophomores and juniors, take both tests this year, especially since they have been preparing for the ACT for most of their high school career.
“The ACT will still be offered, but students will have to go on their own and register on the website and pay the appropriate fee themselves,” Gin said. “I would encourage students [to take both tests], because they’ve been trained in the ACT by doing the EXPLORE as incoming freshmen and doing the PLAN as sophomores.”
Some students intend on taking the ACT as well, because they believe that they are more confident and prepared for the format that they’ve been used to for so long.
“Since I’ve been taking the tests that’ll prepare me for the ACT for the past few years, I am going to take both of the tests this year,” junior Jessica Kalathil said. “I’m already comfortable with the test format and I know how the test goes, so I feel more confident in my ability to do well on the ACT, rather than the SAT.”
After the test, West will be offering students an SAT test prep class. Registration for the class will begin at the end of November and run until the beginning of December, and classes will begin in February. Students can also go online to Career Cruising for further test preparation and, upon taking the PSAT, there will be an account set up on Khan Academy.
