PSAT/NMSQT October 2017 - Social Security Number required?

[Lanny]

DD will take this examination in 3 weeks. The below Slide Show was very interesting to me, but it does not mention whether or not the test taker needs to supply their SSN. I prefer that DD minimize who she discloses her SSN to.

 

Question: Is the SSN required?  If so, I will have her apply for an Employer ID Number from the I.R.S., (use I.R.S. form SS-4) and use that number instead for the PSAT/NMSQT. Will that work?   Thanks!

 

 

This is the link for the College Board PowerPoint Presentation I Downloaded.

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/ppt/prepare-psat-nmsqt.ppt

 

Note: First, I downloaded that file to my Android phone and then I installed Microsoft PowerPoint and I was unable to open it on my phone. Then, this morning, I downloaded it to my laptop and I was unable to open it with Microsoft PowerPoint, using the free Microsoft Office Online.  

 

On my laptop, I was able to open the file and view the Slide Show, perfectly, with LibreOffice Impress and also with WPS Spreadsheets.    :hurray:

[snowbeltmom]

No, the student is not required to provide his social security number for the PSAT. SAT or AP exams.  Fwiw, my kids have never provided their SS# and there has never been an issue.

[Lanny]

@SnowBeltMom  Thank you!  That's good news!

[wapiti]

Just so you aren't surprised, I vaguely recall that the question may be asked when setting up the college board account. Note that many such questions are optional even if it isn't immediately obvious.

[Caroline]

Just so you aren't surprised, I vaguely recall that the question may be asked when setting up the college board account. Note that many such questions are optional even if it isn't immediately obvious.

And if you give it the first time you take an AP test and not the next time, the tests might not get linked to the same account automatically. So just don't ever give it.

[JoJosMom]

I was just told by an administrator at a testing location that homeschooled students do need to provide a SS number.

[wapiti]

Does a test center administrator's understanding really make a difference when the question comes during registration on the College Board website, long before someone arrives at a test center with an admission ticket in hand?  I suppose someone could make the argument that B&M students usually have student numbers, but I would be skeptical of this administrator's statement unless one of you homeschoolers actually has difficulty registering on the College Board site without it.

[snowbeltmom]

I was just told by an administrator at a testing location that homeschooled students do need to provide a SS number.

The administrator is wrong.  There is a homeschool code that the student provides that is different from the code the public school students use.  Maybe the administrator is getting the SS # confused with the required homeschool code?

[RootAnn]

Does a test center administrator's understanding really make a difference when the question comes during registration on the College Board website, long before someone arrives at a test center with an admission ticket in hand?  I suppose someone could make the argument that B&M students usually have student numbers, but I would be skeptical of this administrator's statement unless one of you homeschoolers actually has difficulty registering on the College Board site without it.

 

Weeeellll, this is true for the SAT, but PSATs are administered through the school. There is no registration on the CB website for the PSAT. We've never gotten an admission ticket for the PSAT. The CB certainly doesn't give them out. (The process for the SAT is, of course, what you laid out in your post. The PSAT is horribly, messily different.) So, your kid might have to humor the admin a bit. Likely, the admin won't double-check to make sure each student puts a SS in. Hopefully, anyway...

 

The administrator is wrong.  There is a homeschool code that the student provides that is different from the code the public school students use.  Maybe the administrator is getting the SS # confused with the required homeschool code?

 

Last year & again this year, the homeschool code isn't required anymore. They changed the process & sheets.

[Lori D.]

Not required. Directly from the College Board website on what to bring to the PSAT/NMSQT:

 

 

What to Bring

• Two No. 2 pencils with erasers

• An approved calculator

• Valid school- or government-issued photo ID (for students not testing at their own school and home-schooled students). If unavailable, students can use a notarized College Board Student ID Form (.pdf/488.05 KB).

• Social Security number (optional)

• Epinephrine auto-injectors (e.g., EpiPens) are permitted without the need for accommodations. They must be placed in a clear bag and stored under the student’s desk during testing. For policies on other medications and medical devices, contact Services for Students with Disabilities.

 

 

Here is a quick article on "Who Can Lawfully Request My Social Security Number". Notice -- doctor offices are NOT on that list. High schools and standardized tests are NOT on that list. There are very few people/organizations that ARE on the list.

 

 

JoJosMom: you might pass on both of these websites to the school administrator who gave you the erroneous info about the SSN being required so that the school can make any needed adjustments. :)

 

BEST of luck to all taking the PSAT in a few weeks! Warmest regards, Lori D.

•  

[JoJosMom]

The administrator is wrong.  There is a homeschool code that the student provides that is different from the code the public school students use.  Maybe the administrator is getting the SS # confused with the required homeschool code?

 

 

 

Not required. Directly from the College Board website on what to bring to the PSAT/NMSQT:

 

 

What to Bring

• Two No. 2 pencils with erasers

• An approved calculator

• Valid school- or government-issued photo ID (for students not testing at their own school and home-schooled students). If unavailable, students can use a notarized College Board Student ID Form (.pdf/488.05 KB).

• Social Security number (optional)

• Epinephrine auto-injectors (e.g., EpiPens) are permitted without the need for accommodations. They must be placed in a clear bag and stored under the student’s desk during testing. For policies on other medications and medical devices, contact Services for Students with Disabilities.

 

 

Here is a quick article on "Who Can Lawfully Request My Social Security Number". Notice -- doctor offices are NOT on that list. High schools and standardized tests are NOT on that list. There are very few people/organizations that ARE on the list.

 

 

JoJosMom: you might pass on both of these websites to the school administrator who gave you the erroneous info about the SSN being required so that the school can make any needed adjustments. :)

 

BEST of luck to all taking the PSAT in a few weeks! Warmest regards, Lori D.

•  

 

 

Sorry!  You are absolutely correct; the social security number is not needed.  In fact, the College Board has a privacy page that is very specific that they will NOT require a social security number.  I was on my phone and was too brief.  I just wanted to give people a head's up that school officials might not have the best information. 

[wapiti]

(The process for the SAT is, of course, what you laid out in your post. The PSAT is horribly, messily different.

 

doh!  I forgot we were talking about PSAT.

[RanchGirl]

fyi, there is a question that asks for either the SSN or the student ID #.  Your student may leave it blank, but it doesn't actually say that is an option on the form.  The test administrator may be confused, so make sure your student knows he/she can leave that blank.  good luck tomorrow to  your test-taker!

Edited October 11, 2017 by RanchGirl