Say you’re in the Ninth or Tenth grade, and you have your sights set on the United States of America as your intended college destination. You have all the plans to get yourself ready for the mad rush of Grade 12.
The timeline has been set and you are working your way up, taking one step at a time ensuring that you have not nothing left when the time comes. Goal in sight, engines at the ready….BUT WAIT! What do you mean you won’t start till later?
Heard about a test called the PSAT?
“Now what is that?” you wonder. You thought the standardized tests were to start by Grade 11. There are so many tests you are worried about and you so wanted to keep the test-taking to the minimum. You already have enough stress and now this!
The PSAT is the Preliminary SAT. It is an exam that assesses problem-solving skills and subject matter learned in high school in two areas: English and Math.
It happens once a year in October and Grade 9 or 10 is the best time to take it. (Note, you can take it in Grade 11 as well but this counselor recommends using Grade 11 for the SAT / ACT attempts rather than PSAT) Conducted by the College Board, which administers the SAT, this exam is very useful for students in preparing then for SAT and other similar multiple-choice standardized tests for admission to foreign or Indian universities.
“But wait, will it only ‘help’ me prepare for the SATs? Then I don’t need it. I will anyway join some coaching institute in Grade 11 for this purpose”
Before you jump the gun and make a decision, let’s list down the benefits first:
1) The PSAT Score Report provides very detailed and meaningful feedback about a student’s strengths and weaknesses in the skills tested on the PSAT. So, even before you walk into your first SAT Prep class, you know what you need to focus on!
2) You can become familiar with the kinds of questions and the exact directions you will see on the SAT. This helps you perform better on standardized tests like the SAT / ACT since they aren’t part of the Indian Education system.
3) Students can see how they performed compared to other students who took the test. Which is an excellent Reality Check!
4) Get started with My College QuickStart and Student Search Surveys to create a SAT Study Plans and learn more about colleges. You know it, and we know it, it’s never too early to start.
5) Creates a competitive application to Summer Schools! While the Benefits of Summer Schools is a whole other post, however, it’s important to note that for the most competitive summer schools, PSAT or the SAT is often requested as part of the application!
There, you see, having access to such powerful tools at an early stage can help students plan for college more systematically. Most of all, taking the PSAT will definitely help to reduce SAT anxiety.
In fact, the success of the PSAT has encouraged the ACT to announce the Pre-ACT. Its function is similar to the PSAT and like the ACT is an alternative to the SAT, the Pre-ACT is an alternative to the PSAT.
Aren’t you glad you got to know about it well in time? And the proof that taking the PSAT pays off is already out there: the CollegeBoard found that the students who took the PSAT scored 145 points higher on the SAT than their peers who skipped the test. So go, get started!