mirabillis Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 Hi! I just secured a spot for my 10th grader to take the PSAT. Same place as last year when he was in 9th. He didn't prep at all last year. Should he prep this year, so he can get ahead of the game for next year when it really counts? And if so, what do you suggest he do? We have from now until October 25. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 Since he's taken it already, I'd suggest Khan Academy. Have him take one of the practice tests. (Someone said 5 & 6 were real tests given at one point or another.) We download the physical version and when my dd is all done, we put in her answers. This tells Khan what the student needs to work on. Then, when they do the suggested practice, they can work on the stuff they have missed. There are also two PSAT tests on Khan, but only in paper version. So, taking these is good practice as the timing & # of questions is just like what he'll encounter on test days, but in terms of practice, it isn't as helpful. Since it is only on paper, Khan doesn't know what the student has missed & needs to work on. 30 minutes x 5 days a week is a good quick prep until the test in a month. You'll want more intense prep next year if you are close-but-not-quite-there on his PSAT score for National Merit. (FWIW, my dd#2 won't be taking the PSAT because she's not going to be close for NM. She will focus on the ACT.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 I think that khan has some kind of agreement with the College Board. IIRC, you can link your PSAT results directly to Khan, and the Khan site generates directed practice. You might want to look further into it at the College Board and/or Khan websites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 I don't know the 'right' answer , but one of my kids didn't study at all, and the other spent a few hours on prep for the PSAT 10. What they did do was study for the 11th grade PSAT and SAT at the same time, taking them both around the same time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 I did not have my daughter prep for the 9th and 10th grade PSAT. Like Jen500's kids, she prepped simultaneously for the 11th grade PSAT and SAT. It seemed a better use of limited time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted September 21, 2017 Author Share Posted September 21, 2017 What was your favorite prep ahead of 11th grade PSAT/SAT? Did you prep in the summer ahead of 11th? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 My boys did not prep when they took it in 10th. I'm glad they didn't. Found out that they did not need to do any Eng prep. So, they focused on math prep before the 11th grade PSAT. Saved them a chunk of time bec., if I hadn't known that they were good to go on Eng, I'd have insisted that they prep for that, too. I don't know how much the math prep contributed to their 11th grade PSAT math score. I think having completed Alg 2 was the major factor. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 My sophomore is taking it this year. I told her to look at Khan to get an idea as to what kinds of questions to expect. I'm using this as a baseline year. We will consider her results and what to do for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 What was your favorite prep ahead of 11th grade PSAT/SAT? Did you prep in the summer ahead of 11th? I don't know that I have a favorite PSAT prep program. My daughter used Prep Scholar that year. Khan would be a good free option though. Practice tests are the most important thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyOwn Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 I did not have my daughter prep for the 9th and 10th grade PSAT. Like Jen500's kids, she prepped simultaneously for the 11th grade PSAT and SAT. It seemed a better use of limited time. My boys did not prep when they took it in 10th. I'm glad they didn't. Found out that they did not need to do any Eng prep. So, they focused on math prep before the 11th grade PSAT. Saved them a chunk of time bec., if I hadn't known that they were good to go on Eng, I'd have insisted that they prep for that, too. I don't know how much the math prep contributed to their 11th grade PSAT math score. I think having completed Alg 2 was the major factor. Well, I am glad to hear this! We aren't going to prep this year either, then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 I do not plan to have my 10th grader prep for the PSAT. He'll be taking the SAT for the first time in December, so we will do some prep between the PSAT in October and the SAT in December. I will plan to go over the format of the PSAT with him briefly, so he remembers what to expect. That's all we did last year when he took the PSAT for the first time, and he scored very high on English and exactly where I thought he would on math. (He was in Geometry last year and Algebra 2 this year, so I expect his math score will increase without any prep.) I think he has NM potential when he gets to 11th grade, so we will prep a bit more for the PSAT next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 Well, I am glad to hear this! We aren't going to prep this year either, then! I forgot! I DID have them do the practice test (untimed) in the PSAT booklet that they got when they registered. I wanted a good baseline, not clouded by simple unfamiliarity with the test format/types of questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted September 23, 2017 Author Share Posted September 23, 2017 yes i think we'll do a practice test - and maybe go over wrong answers from last year's PSAT - as maybe those could be avoided, if it's a question semantic thing. thanks for all your advice!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyOwn Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 I forgot! I DID have them do the practice test (untimed) in the PSAT booklet that they got when they registered. I wanted a good baseline, not clouded by simple unfamiliarity with the test format/types of questions. We can make time for one practice test. It's just good to hear others didn't spend too much time on this in 10th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 It counts in 11th grade. My DD will take it in 2 weeks. Anyone who qualifies as Hispanic can participate in the National Hispanic Recognition Program when they take the PSAT in 11th grade. The CollegeBoard.org web site has a PowerPoint thing that I Downloaded and hope DD will be looking at, before she takes the PSAT/NMSQT. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 ) Since he took it last year do a little test prep and see if he thinks that helped him after he takes it Next year is when it counts 2) DS just did some practice tests such as these: https://blog.prepscholar.com/psat-practice-tests-free-questions-and-full-length-tests Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted September 23, 2017 Author Share Posted September 23, 2017 great link, thank you mark! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 great link, thank you mark! You are welcome make sure you use bubble sheets to get that test feel - I believe that is important pacing for these type of tests is important Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 2) DS just did some practice tests such as these: https://blog.prepscholar.com/psat-practice-tests-free-questions-and-full-length-tests The 8 practice PSAT tests are the old PSATs (pre-2015). Just be aware there are changes. Link compares old and new PSAT https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/inside-the-test/compare-specifications Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 The 8 practice PSAT tests are the old PSATs (pre-2015). Just be aware there are changes. Link compares old and new PSAT https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/inside-the-test/compare-specifications the newer ones are at the top don't use the ones at the bottom - We also used the Ivy Global tests Practice Tests for the New PSATSince the PSAT changed in the fall of 2015, there aren't a whole lot of current PSAT practice materials available. College Board has come out with two sample PSAT tests, along with answer keys. These are the best resources out there so far for practice questions for the PSAT: Official PSAT Practice Test 1 — Score Your Test — Answer Explanations Official PSAT Practice Test 2 — Score Your Test — Answer Explanations Test prep company Ivy Global also has made their version of a PSAT practice test pdf available. Keep in mind that these aren't official College Board questions. While they resemble questions on the test and are useful practice, they're not an exact representation of what you'll encounter on test day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gstharr Posted September 25, 2017 Share Posted September 25, 2017 I would suggest some prep. My 7th grader has completed about 4 full practice test for October exam. We identified a problem type that he did not encounter in his two alg 1 classes. An hour of review of that topic, and a few more practice problem fixed it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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