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PSAT: Not a Pre-Test
parent to parent
Confused about the PSAT? We’ve got some answers to common
questions and info on why your teen should take this particular
“practice” test seriously. By Jasmine York
Many think the “P” in PSAT stands for Pretest. While it is not used for admissions, the
Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship
Qualifying Test is a standardized test administered by the College Board and National Merit
Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). But unlike
most “pre-tests” that serve as practice material
to prepare students for the real exam, the PSAT
is much more. Students who score high enough
on the PSAT are entered in a competition for a
scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship
Program along with lucrative corporation and
college scholarship packages.
How is it different from SAT & ACT?
The PSAT can only be taken once per school
year. Students who are sophomores or younger
are allowed to take the test, but to qualify for the
National Merit Scholarship, students must take
this test as a junior. Unlike the SAT, it does not
contain Algebra II problems or an essay.
How is it administered?
Unlike other standardized exams, registration for
the PSAT is done at your teen’s high school, and
the test is taken every October during regular
school hours at participating high schools.
What if my child is homeschooled?
Contact a nearby school offering the PSAT/
NMSQT and request to take the test there. There
is no online registration process. Registration
must be done at a participating high school.
How much does it cost?
The test is offered at a fraction of the cost of
other standardized tests. There is a $14 fee per
student tested. In some cases, schools may
charge an additional fee to cover administrative costs. The College Board offers fee waivers
to juniors who come from a low-income family
and demonstrate financial need. These waivers
are given out to juniors through the request of
school administrators and are allotted on a firstcome, first-served basis.
So, what’s on the test?
The PSAT is broken into five sections: two Critical Reading, two Math and one Writing section.
The Official Student Guide to the PSAT/NMSQT
offers reviews to aid in preparation and can
be picked up from your teen’s guidance office
in September. Practice tests are also available
online.
How are the scores used?
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation
receives all the scores. Each section of the test
is scored between 20-80 with an overall score
ranging from 60 to 240. The selection for the
scholarship is based on how well the students
do in comparison to peers in their region. Each
state has a specific PSAT Selection Index, which
is used in part to qualify students for the National Merit Scholarship. Alabama’s qualifying
score for 2013 is currently 209.
NO GENIUS
REQUIRED
Jean Burk, author of “College Prep
Genius,” is a nationally known expert on
PSAT/SAT testing and has been featured
on FOX, CBS and NBC. She believes that
preparation is the key.
“The SAT doesn’t test how smart your
kids are, nor does it examine how much
they learn in school. Kids with 4.0 GPAs
can bomb this test! Why does this happen? Because the SAT mainly tests your
ability to take the SAT. The good news
is that this test is ‘standardized,’ which
means that when writing the test questions, the test-makers follow the same
patterns, profiles and standards by writing similar questions each time; this tests
the same skills in exactly the same way
without being literally the same questions. Students can then obviously learn
these hidden recurring patterns found
on the test and become very test savvy.”
SCORE BIG
FINANCIALLY
How can your teen earn $75,000
before age 18? Study for the PSAT. Also
known as the National Merit Scholarship Test, it is the golden ticket for
students scoring in the upper 2-5 percent. Universities seek out these high
scorers and pursue them with lucrative
scholarship offers since these students
bolster their national rankings.
Before you say, “My kid could never
score high enough,” consider this:
Studying 150 additional hours
could mean a boost to your teen’s
score that would be equivalent to
Watch for
$500/hour.
“How to Raise
Your Teen’s
PSAT Score” in
To earn the same amount at a
our next issue.
typical minimum wage teen job,
they’d have to work over 10,000
hours.
16
www.potentialmagazine.com