Though Cohort 1 has already had their testing day, students of Cohort 2 are preparing for the next round of PSAT testing on campus happening Thursday, October 29.

If you’re unsure of how the process works, I’ve received some helpful information from the director of counseling Mrs. Hartman about the upcoming testing day that may calm your nerves:

1. What time should students be at school?

“Students should be at school no later than 7:45 a.m.”

2. Where should students look to find their assigned classrooms?

“The assigned classrooms will be posted in front of the office and up here on my window [outside of the counseling department].”

3. What should students bring?

“Students should bring two sharpened No. 2 pencils as well as a College Board-approved calculator. Neither food nor water will be allowed in the testing rooms.”

4. What are the benefits of taking the PSAT’s?

“The benefit of taking the PSAT is that it is meant to be practice for the SAT. When a student receives the results, she is able to see what she has missed and then receive a tailored practice plan for the SAT through https://www.khanacademy.org/sat.”

5. What is the National Merit Scholarship?

“The National Merit Scholarship is a $2,500 scholarship awarded to students who are National Merit Finalists. For finalists, there are also corporate and college sponsored scholarship opportunities.

Becoming a Finalist is incredibly competitive and is based not only on test scores, similar to college admissions. Here is more information.”

In order to become a finalist, a student is required to be a U.S. citizen/permanent resident and take the PSAT in October of junior year. The student must also achieve a score within the top 1% of national scores in order to qualify for finalist consideration, so if you’re interested in the National Merit Scholarship, consider investing in tutoring for the next time you test.

Make sure to get a full night of sleep before testing, and eat a hearty breakfast that will keep you full throughout the day. Maybe think ahead and pack yourself a snack to eat after school, but make sure to keep it in your backpack during testing. Remember to try not stress yourself out too much; after all, the PSAT is just a way to prepare you for the SAT and assess your areas of improvement. One test score does not define you.