As students at East Los Angeles Renaissance Academy prepare for their prospective college applications, the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (also known as the National Merit Scholarship Qualification Test) haunts the halls of the high school a week before the ghosts roam around on Halloween. The PSAT is a standardized test designed by the College Board for high school students to prepare them for the daunting SATs that will go on their college applications.
On October 25th, all students of ELARA – excluding seniors – took the dreaded PSATs at school. Different from last year, the College Board has opted to go digital. Consequently, the format of the test is quite dissimilar from that of last year’s on-paper test. The PSAT consists of 4 different parts now: 2 Reading and Writing modules (a total of 54 questions) and 2 Math modules (a total of 44 questions). With a total of 98 questions, the PSAT’s duration is 2 hours and 14 minutes excluding breaks. There is an immense alteration in the English modules of the test; students no longer have to read unnecessarily long passages, but rather, they’re provided with short quotes for each question. However, the math modules seem to be no different from the on-paper PSAT.
As the PSATs are now digital, the tests are made to be adaptive – meaning that the program changes the difficulty of the next module based on the student’s performance in the previous module. This makes it more challenging for high school students to receive a perfect score of 1520. “The first module for the Reading and Writing section was easy, but it got harder on the next module,” said junior student Shelly Pojoy. Although the questions may not be that difficult for everyone, students have to pay careful attention because there are a lot of tricky ones, especially in the Math modules!
Even at times of difficulty, never leave an answer blank. Always remember to put in a guess! “Write what you can because you know more than you think you do,” advised junior student Daniel Verdugo. Taking some free practice tests offered on the College Board website is also a crucial factor in preparing for the PSAT. Teachers are also always available for assistance if needed, along with counselors and other staff!
High school students may not take the PSAT seriously, but it can be extraordinarily beneficial to those who do their utmost. Getting a good score can qualify a student for the National Merit Scholarship, where selected students can receive an award of $2,500. It also builds endurance for the future SATs that high students may take at the end of their junior year. In 2022, most colleges in the United States announced that they were going test-optional, which meant that SAT scores were no longer mandatory for college applications. However, high school teachers recommend that students still take the SAT because it enables colleges to perceive you as a competitive student during application season.
Nevertheless, it’s always best to do the most to stand out – even on something as small as the PSAT. ELARA students have answered the PSAT as best as they could and now the anticipation starts! A specific date for the release of 2023’s PSAT scores has not yet been announced by the College Board. However, students can download the Big Future app to receive a notification the second it’s released. As everyone waits for their scores, I wish them good luck! Be ready for next year…