5 Reasons Why You Should Take PSAT Seriously

Spruce up your college application and earn a place in the National Merit Scholarship Program by scoring high in your Preliminary SAT. PSAT is a standardized test conducted for 8th to 11th-grade students by high schools across the United States. There are three types; PSAT8/9, PSAT10, and PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). PSAT8/9 is for 8th and 9th-grade students, PSAT10 is for 10th-grade students, and PSAT/NMSQT is for 11th-grade students.

Pre SAT is a precursor for other standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. Although colleges may not consider PSAT scores as part of the criteria for admissions like SAT or ACT scores there are other benefits of taking Preliminary SAT. If your high school doesn't conduct PSAT, find out from your guidance counselor where else you can take it. You can take PSAT at other schools as well.

5 Benefits of Taking Preliminary SAT

 

1. Qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program: Earning a high PSAT score will give you the chance to qualify for a place in the National Merit Scholarship Program. National Merit Scholarships are awarded to 50,000 students with the top 5% of the Preliminary SAT scores. Awards can range from $500 to $5000 and from small one-time scholarships to big full-time scholarships that cover the entire 4-year course in college. PSAT/NMSQT is usually taken in the 11th grade. To qualify for the National Merit Scholarship program, you must take the PSAT before the end of your third year in high school.
2. Benefit from the College Board's Student Search Service: When taking your PSAT, avail of the Student Search Service i.e., make sure to grant permission to the College Board to reveal your (limited) information to universities, colleges, and scholarship committees across the U.S. Granting permission can benefit you as you are bound to receive several invites from colleges, corporations, organizations, and committees that offer merit-based scholarship awards to students. This way, your financial options for supplementing expenses like college tuition, boarding, books, and so on are covered.
3. Enhance your college application: Even if you don't qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program, you can get a letter of recommendation and recognition for earning high PSAT scores. These two will look good on your college application and serve to impress the college admissions committee. Colleges will look favorably upon students who have put in quite an effort like the PSAT for their student body groups.
4. PSAT helps familiarize you with the SAT: Taking the PSAT will help you familiarize yourself with the dreaded SAT. As you know, the SAT is a common criterion for college admissions. Therefore, you must score well on your SAT. To do well in your SAT, you must take PSAT seriously. Both tests have similar formats, questions, and scoring methods. Both have multiple-choice questions in 3 sections, namely, mathematics, writing and language, and reading. PSAT doesn't have the optional essay test included in the SAT.
5. PSAT helps you with SAT prep in a big way: SAT is different from your regular school tests. To ace your SAT, you must take a few practice tests. PSAT is like a practice test for your SAT i.e., taking the Preliminary SAT is like a real-time simulation for your SAT. It becomes a crucial part of your SAT prep. Furthermore, your PSAT results will also help you identify challenging areas that require focus in your SAT prep, such as the subjects you need to improve on and whether you need to work on your test-taking skills.

The fee for taking the Preliminary SAT is reasonable. Therefore, don't miss out on a crucial test like Pre SAT, which is considered to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship and National Achievement Scholarship Programs. Here's wishing you all the best for your PSAT!