PSAT - why, when

[Myra]

Hi-

I just rec'd the public high school's calendar and see that the PSAT exam is scheduled in October. When I went the the COllege Board website, I can't find at what age/grade a homeschooled student should take this test or even "if" we should......

 

Plus when I look at the practice test questions on the college board, I realized that we've never have "studied" finding grammar/punctuation errors in sentences, etc. SO if we take this exam should we do study/prep for it or what??

 

Thanks,

Myra

[Chris in VA]

PSAT is good practice for the SAT, allowing you to see an estimate of what dc's score may be on the SAT. It is also the qualifying test for the Nat'l Merit Scholars Program, which gives scholarships to college. It can be taken any time before the SAT, but really only needs to be taken once--The fall test in the Jr. Year is the one that counts for the Merit scholars.

 

Yes, some prep is good. There are lots of prep books out there. It's worth it to go thru them and see how the test is set up, and learn some of the "tricks" of the test, as well as practicing with the material on a real practice test. Princeton Review's is pretty good (I taught for them, briefly), and I've heard Rocket Review and Kaplan are, too. You can usually find them at the library.

[Sandra in NC]

The CollegeBoard's MyRoad program is free to students who have taken the PSAT. That alone is worth taking the test. (MyRoad has a personality test, tools for researching careers and majors, as well as the regular college search info. For students who haven't taken the PSAT, MyRoad is a subscription site that costs about $20/yr.)

 

In our public schools, students take the PSAT in 10th and 11th grade. Only the 11th grade scores count for National Merit Finalist consideration.

[MomsintheGarden]

Details of the PSAT/NMSQT process are below in an edited copy of what I sent to my local homeschool email list. Feel free to ask questions!

 

Our family has gone up the learning curve this year for the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) and the scholarships that can come from it. We missed the boat on the PSAT with our oldest. We didn't know about the potential benefits of taking this test, so we didn't have him take it. The PSAT is often considered a "Practice SAT," and it is good practice for the SAT. However, if your student scores well enough, it is also a scholarship generator. Here is what we've found out about this test and competition.

 

Here is a link to the College Board website:

www.collegeboard.com

"The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity." The College Board provides the following tests: SAT, PSAT, CLEP, AP, and SAT II subject tests. Note that the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) is produced by a different company and is not the same as the SAT college entrance exam. The Stanford test is an excellent way to test your students for the yearly testing requirement you may have.

 

As an aside, "SAT" used to stand for "Scholastic Aptitude Test," but since some people didn't think it was fair to test aptitude, it now doesn't stand for anything anymore (http://www.time.com/time/classroom/psych/unit5_article4.html). The SAT is usually offered in October, November, December, January, March, May, and June. Many area high schools offer this test, and your online registration will help you find a testing center.

 

What is the PSAT?

Here is a link that explains it.

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html

 

When should your student take the PSAT?

The PSAT must be taken in the student's junior year of high school to count for the scholarship competition. Many sophomores take it for practice, but it does not count toward NMSQT.

 

What does it cost?

The PSAT costs $13. For comparison, the SAT costs $45.

 

When and where is it given?

The PSAT is given on the Wednesday and Saturday of the second full week of October at most high schools. Some schools administer it on Wednesday morning, and other schools on Saturday morning. The PSAT will be given on Wednesday October 14 and Saturday, October 17, 2009. You will need to research schools and dates.

 

How do you register?

*** You must register through an administering school. The College Board recommends contacting a school in June to make arrangements. Most high schools will tell you that's too early, but that's what's recommended. If the school seems unwilling to work with you, takes too long to return your calls, etc., find another school. Make a note of the responsible staff names. Mark on your calender to call them back in August and September to verify, and try to get information in writing. You will need to get a check to the school at least a month before the test.

 

What are the homeschool codes?

Here they are by state: http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/hslda/200710210.asp

Make sure your student takes the number with him - do not rely on the school to provide it for him (although good ones do). Note that the PSAT homeschool code is the same as that for the AP, but NOT the same as for the SAT (ridiculous!).

 

How do you prepare?

A rigorous high school program with plenty of reading, vocabulary study, grammar, and mathematics is excellent preparation. Beyond that, I'd highly recommend getting a good PSAT prep guide. Any good bookstore will have a few guides to choose from, so take your student and look them over. Our student used McGraw-Hill's PSAT/NMSQT by Christopher Black & Mark Anestis, 2006, ISBN 0-07-145412-8. It is thorough, challenging (sometimes even a bit more challenging than the actual test), and contains plenty of practice with a wide variety of questions. Make the online SAT Question of the Day at the College Board website part of your student's daily routine. You should also pick up and use the official practice book given by the College Board. Your administering high school will give it to you when you register. Read it and take the practice test. We allowed six weeks of fairly intensive study before this test, in addition to regular school work. I'd recommend stretching study over the summer if possible.

Math - It is absolutely necessary to have had Algebra I plus Geometry before taking the test in 11th grade. Algebra II is nice to have studied, but not necessary. There are some questions on the test about sequences, series, and probability that a student may not have seen in Alg. I. Studying prep materials and taking practice tests will help with these.

Vocabulary - as you can imagine this is very important. Again, test prep materials will help, but make sure your student is reading a wide range of challenging literature. Have him look up unknown words. There are many vocabulary prep books at bookstores and in homeschool catalogs. Studying a foreign language is a big plus. If you don't study Latin and Greek, a good roots program would be helpful.

Reading - The Princeton Review prep books recommend "thinking like the test writer." If your student takes a few practice tests, he will become comfortable with the format and style of the questions.

It's important to remember that this test is more like an intelligence/puzzle test than a scholastic achievement-type test, such as the Stanford or Iowa. Students who enjoy and do well with brain teaser-type activities have an advantage. Your student will need math skills, but often a problem can be greatly simplified to make it quicker and easier to solve, saving time and ultimately leading to a higher score.

 

What types of scholarships are available?

***IMPORTANT*** Make sure your student fills in the proper bubbles on the score sheet to enter in the NMSQT! The info is in the prep book given by the College Board.

Here is a website that lists (non-alphabetically) colleges offering full tuition scholarship for National Merit Finalists:

http://homepage.mac.com/l_j/secondhome/National_Merit.html

Liberty University is on this list. Note that Geneva College and Harding University, Christian schools that offer full tuition, are not mentioned in this list. Other colleges are probably not mentioned as well - it would be worthwhile to check out any potential schools. Just search for "National Merit" on the school's website. Scholarships can range from $0 to a free ride + stipend. Schools offer many types of merit scholarships as well as the National Merit type. Note that the scholarships are for entering freshmen, not transfer students, which is something to keep in mind when comparing college costs.

If your student is chosen to be a National Merit Scholar (Scholars are chosen from the Finalists), he will be given a one-time award of $2500. There are also corporate and other scholarships awarded; these are detailed in the College Board's literature.

There is some strategy involved if your child is a semifinalist/finalist when notifying a college of his/her final "official" NM status. It is considered better to NOT notify a favorite school of official NM status if that school doesn't offer a generous scholarship for NM. Rather, notify a lesser favorite school that does offer a NM scholarship. For instance (hypothetical example) - your student wants to attend MIT or the University of North Alabama. Since MIT doesn't offer any merit scholarships at all (need only), it would be better to send the Official National Merit notice to U of N Alabama. MIT will accept "unofficial" paperwork from NM, which can be a plus for admissions.

 

What is the timetable for PSAT/NMSQT?

Link from the College Board

http://www.nationalmerit.org/steps_nmsp.pdf

From the National Merit Scholarship Corporation

http://www.nationalmerit.org/nmsp.php

From a mom on the Well-Trained Mind message boards (Gwen in VA) who has two children that went through the process. Her post is #5 in this thread -very helpful.

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53161

 

How does the scoring work?

The PSAT has three sections, each worth 80 points, for a total of 240 possible. PSAT scores are 1/10 of SAT scores, i.e., a PSAT score of 180 would be roughly equivalent to an SAT score of 1800.

 

What are the cutoff scores?

The cutoff score for Commended is usually 200.

Semifinalist cutoff scores vary by state or territory. Here is College Confidential's list of cutoff scores for the class of 2009:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/650818-official-list-2009-national-merit-semifinalist-scores.html

I am not sure if the cutoff for homeschoolers is based on where you live or where you take the test. I do know a non-homeschooled student who lived in VA but tested at her boarding school in MA - she had to compete with the higher cutoff MA scores.

Another source. This one has a helpful FAQs and the list of 2008 semifinalist cutoff scores. Cutoff scores vary by year as well as by state: http://www.collegeplanningsimplified.com/NationalMerit.html This site mentions the Telluride Association. Our family is wary of this organization (PM me for details, if you wish).

 

GardenMom

[Sunshine State Sue]

Wow, GardenMom! Thanks for the helpful information. I added a 'psat' tag to this thread.

[Deidre in GA]

my son is in his second year (10th) of PS. i just read the student handbook they sent home this week and noticed the PSAT is scheduled for 10th and 11th grade. his test is october 14th. since i had him sit for the actual SAT this past june and this test isn't going to count for Merit, maybe i should ask for him to have the morning off!

[LizzyBee]

At my dd's high school, all 10th graders take the PSAT for practice, then they take it again in 11th grade when it counts for merit scholarships.

[MomsintheGarden]

my son is in his second year (10th) of PS. i just read the student handbook they sent home this week and noticed the PSAT is scheduled for 10th and 11th grade. his test is october 14th. since i had him sit for the actual SAT this past june and this test isn't going to count for Merit, maybe i should ask for him to have the morning off!

 

I would have my son take the PSAT in 10th grade. It will be good practice, and you will learn a lot from his score for next year. You are given back the actual test questions with complete results, so it's easy to see what the student missed.

 

It's a great opportunity.

 

GardenMom

[Phoatogirl]

We have the chance to take it at a private school this October. My son is going to be in 9th. Is this too early???

[Pamela H in Texas]

9th/10th is good for practice. We did it in 8th. Then you do it in 11th if there is reason to believe the student will score well enough for scholarships.

[MomsintheGarden]

We have the chance to take it at a private school this October. My son is going to be in 9th. Is this too early???

It would be fine as long as you don't think your son will burn out on the test. It's hard to strike the right balance between enough practice and taking it so many times the student will be sick of it. I don't believe there is a single answer to this question - it depends on the student.

 

Please let us know what you decide, and how it turns out. Scores are available in very late November/early December.

[kate in seattle]

I'm having my 9th grade dd take it this fall.

 

Why - because in WA we are supposed to have our children evaluated yearly OR take a standardized test. The PSAT qualifies for this - way cheaper than any other standardized test I could have her take - and good practice to boot!

[MIch elle]

We have the chance to take it at a private school this October. My son is going to be in 9th. Is this too early???

 

They have no choice - it's just what's done at his high school. My ds did NOT study for it in 9th grade. His school emphasizes that it's just for practice. I will try to get him to study for it this year, 10th grade.

 

 

Some dc I know take the PSAT from grade 7 & up!

[Nicoleab2]

This is great info! Thank-you Garden Mom for posting all of this. I'm going out today to get a practice guide for my dd. She has been doing the SAT question of the day. Now to get out the greek and latin roots book......