beachnut Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I was thinking of having my 9th grader take the PSAT in a few weeks, partly to give him practice and partly to let me see his strengths and weaknesses. I didn't have him do any prep work for it yet because I wanted this to be a low-pressure attempt, but he will do some practice exercises prior to taking the test. FYI-Next summer, I plan to have him read through (and practice) an entire PSAT Test Prep book and take the test "for real" in 10th grade & again in 11th grade when it counts for scholarship money. Is this overkill or would you think it's helpful? More importantly, does it hurt students in any way if colleges (or the College Board) sees that he has taken this test 2 or 3 times? I really just wanted to see his baseline score without much test prep, to assess weaknesses, etc., and I wanted this to be a low-stress approach. However, I don't want to set him up for failure by not having him prep much or by taking it multiple times. Your thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 It will not hurt anything with colleges as they won't even see his PSAT scores nor know how many times he took it. They will only know if he qualifies junior year for NMF (plus they allow Commended Students to inform two schools of their choice). He will likely start getting mail from colleges, but they "buy" names of students in bulk based on scores and regions. There's nothing at all personal about those mailings even though they are written to make you think they are. The only time it CAN hurt a student to take a test early is when they have not covered enough information on the test and get discouraged by a low score. Some students are inspired to learn what they don't know. Some get discouraged and choose not to try due to feeling they aren't "good" at that. This is where you need to know your student. My middle son is inspired. My youngest would have been discouraged. Choose what is in the best interest for your student. It might be too late to take this year's PSAT. Our school only took "names" until about a week ago as that's when they had to order the tests. Other schools order a set amount, so if they still have room, you might be able to get a spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajudy Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 My kids all took the PSAT beginning in 9th grade. It's an inexpensive test, and it's good practice for the SAT. Colleges will not see the scores, or how many times the PSAT was taken. As Creekland said, the only way it might hurt is if your child would be discouraged by a low score. One of my daughters got a score that did discourage her for a while, but she kept at it, took a gazillion practice tests, and got an SAT score that earned her a full scholarship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Around here, private schools have their students take the PSAT in 9th-10th-11th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Agreeing with all of the above, plus I'd like to add: Another good reason for *homeschoolers* to take the PSAT in 9th-10th-11th, as I have my boys do, is that it enables them to become familiar with the unknown testing environment. Finding a classroom, asking for bathroom breaks, being surrounded by lots of kids they don't know, taking a timed, proctored test -- better to learn all these new skills and experiences in 9th or 10th grade when the actual score doesn't count! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachnut Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share Posted September 27, 2011 Thanks for the input! I will have him take the test, for all the reasons stated above. Silver lining - it also might help to motivate him more to think beyond the next day and start realizing that college isn't really all that far off. ;) Our local high school begins selling tickets ($20/person) in early October to sit for the PSAT, so it sounds like any student (public schooled or homeschooled) can take the test as long as he pays. Just in case, I gave the guidance counselor a heads up that DS is homeschooled. It didn't seem to make a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 It will not hurt anything with colleges as they won't even see his PSAT scores nor know how many times he took it. They will only know if he qualifies junior year for NMF (plus they allow Commended Students to inform two schools of their choice). He will likely start getting mail from colleges, but they "buy" names of students in bulk based on scores and regions. There's nothing at all personal about those mailings even though they are written to make you think they are. The only time it CAN hurt a student to take a test early is when they have not covered enough information on the test and get discouraged by a low score. Some students are inspired to learn what they don't know. Some get discouraged and choose not to try due to feeling they aren't "good" at that. This is where you need to know your student. My middle son is inspired. My youngest would have been discouraged. Choose what is in the best interest for your student. It might be too late to take this year's PSAT. Our school only took "names" until about a week ago as that's when they had to order the tests. Other schools order a set amount, so if they still have room, you might be able to get a spot. When my eldest did it as a sophomore they not only gave her her scores, but her score percentiles as compared to other sophomores, not as compared to juniors. If they do this for all grades, that could help. My eight grader is going to try it; she does not test well on standardized tests, so she can get an idea of what's involved. I don't know if we'll do it again her freshman year or not, but probably her sophomore year. She has never had geometry, so naturally her math score will be affected. This dd needs to learn to study for any kind of a test, so I'm insisting (first she asked to do it, but I'm not letting her back out of it this time.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brett_ashley Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 I recommend the PSAT in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. The main benefit in my opinion is that the student becomes very familiar with the format and pace of the test. In subsequent sittings they do not have to spend valuable minutes studying the directions, worrying about pacing, etc. For some students it's also rewarding to see your scores go up as you complete Geometry and Algebra II. The test is $14 and is October 12, so I would recommend making a reservation with a local school tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 The test is $14 and is October 12, so I would recommend making a reservation with a local school tomorrow! (To anyone, not a specific post) The cost varies between free and $25 pending school district. Some places offer it Wednesday Oct 12th and others on Sat Oct 15th. ;) Since tests already needed to be ordered by the schools, you'll need to find a school that orders a certain amount or extras, so if the first school turns you down, try another. You might still find a spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.