What is the purpose of the PSAT?
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Anonymous
| What is the purpose of the PSAT? Does it count for anything? I remember only a few people taking it, not me. |
Anonymous
| To practice and prep for the SAT or to qualify for merit scholarships. That’s it. |
Anonymous
| It doesn't count for college admissions directly, but high scorers can qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program. And it can give kids an indea about how prepared they are for the SAT. |
Anonymous
| Why are 8th graders taking the PSAT? |
Anonymous
| To practice. For the SAT. |
Anonymous
Which 8th graders are taking it? Here, it's typically 10th & 11th graders to practice for the SAT and qualify for scholarships (if in 11th). |
Anonymous
| College Board trying to stay relevant in a test optional world. |
Anonymous
| Didn't you post this yesterday? |
Anonymous
Op here.  Funny, and the obvious answer. I guess I just don’t remember it being a major schoolwide event. It seems now that you opt out of it rather than opt into it, which made me wonder what the purpose was (aside from practice).
I remember my parents buying the SAT books and practicing on my own and studying for hours on end! |
Anonymous
No and I’m sorry if I missed a thread and posted redundant post. |
Anonymous
| PSAT has two main benefits - one applies to everyone and the second applies particularly to high scoring kids - 1) prep test for SAT (time management, feel for the test, identification of areas to study...etc.) and 2) NMSF competition. While scholarship amount is only 2000, becoming NMSF/NMF/NMS can lead to a lot of money for school. |
Anonymous
| Op here and thank you all for the information. |
Anonymous
| Is the NMSF qualifying test only for juniors? |
Anonymous
Yes, the one you take fall of junior year |
Anonymous
| In Maryland, the cutoff for NMSF is very high. |