PSAT/NMSWT

[London]

Has anyone had a child younger than 10th grade take this test? Is it simply not allowed?

 

And what if you take college classes before 10th grade, get an AA degree - can you still the PSAT?

 

EDIT: Let me clarify - to be eligible to become a National Merit Finalist: do you have to take it in 10/11th grade?

 

DOUBLE EDIT: So this means you can't have a kid graduate from college unless he / she is 11th grade by age to be able to quality for National Merit?

Edited March 3, 2018 by London

[catz]

Sure.  The trick with the PSAT is to find a school to let you take it.  It can be easier just to sign up for the ACT or SAT through a talent search.  If you want to do the PSAT, I would start calling schools as soon as they open in the fall.  We went the talent search route through 9th grade.

[Sneezyone]

The PSAT 8/9 is available at lots of middle schools. My DD will be taking it next year. On the website you can find out where it’s offered. It also gives deadlines for HS students to sign up.

Edited March 3, 2018 by Sneezyone

[SebastianCat]

My DS has taken the PSAT in 9th grade at a local Christian school and in 10th grade at our zoned public school.   The PS gives all of their freshman the PSAT10, and all of the 10th & 11th graders take the full PSAT.

 

What the local PS charged me for DS to take the PSAT was less than the cost of the SAT, and the scores didn't count for anything, so there was no pressure.    DS has since taken the SAT once, and his SAT score was within 10 points of his PSAT scores.

[Garga]

Has anyone had a child younger than 10th grade take this test? Is it simply not allowed?

 

And what if you take college classes before 10th grade, get an AA degree - can you still the PSAT?

My oldest took the PSAT when he was in 9th. I emailed the guidance counsellor at the local high school and asked if he could take it there. I emailed him in late spring to give them plenty of time to order tests for my son. He said, “Sure, we always order a few extra tests in the fall.†The kids all take it in the school auditorium so there is a lot of room. Room issues can be a problem. There are rules for administering the PSAT that the desks have to be a certain distance apart, so some schools just don’t have the rooms or enough people to proctor extra kids. I told the counsellor that I’d be emailing him again to be sure nothing had changed at the start of the school year. Nothing had changed and my son took the test.

 

If our local school didn’t have room, I’d have been contacting other schools until I found one. They totally didn’t care what grade my son was in. He took it again this year in 10th grade.

 

I don’t know why you wouldn’t be able to take it just because you’d already taken college classes, but maybe there’s some reason I don’t know about. I don’t think anyone cares about kids not in 11th grade taking the PSAT. Someone answering the OP mentioned a talent search. If you’re taking the test for some sort of talent search, then I don’t know the ins and outs for that. I had my son take it just for practice being in the environment, so that when he takes it in 11th grade, he won’t have undue anxiety about unfamiliar surroundings.

 

It’s once you’re in 11th and you can try to shoot for national merit that there might be issues. I’m not sure what they do about national merit if the student already has an AA.

Edited March 3, 2018 by Garga

[Garga]

Our local school didn’t offer a PSAT 8/9 or PSAT 10. He just took the regular PSAT. (We’re a small town.). They also didn’t charge us anything to take it. They mentioned a fee when you’re in 11th grade, but not for younger. Which sort of didn’t make sense to me, but whatever.

Edited March 3, 2018 by Garga

[catz]

Oh - just to be clear, on talent searches for the ACT/SAT.  It depends on what part of the country you are in to take it through.  We took it through NUMATS.   You can just google your "statename ACT talent search" and probably get a hit.

 

You register through the talent search.  But you take the test at a regular testing site primarily with juniors/seniors taking the test on a regular test date.  You can do it that way through 9th grade.  You get specific talent search data back when you do it this way. 

[London]

Let me clarify - to be eligible to become a National Merit Finalist: do you have to take it in 10/11th grade?

[Sneezyone]

Let me clarify - to be eligible to become a National Merit Finalist: do you have to take it in 10/11th grade?

11th, yes.

[snowbeltmom]

Let me clarify - to be eligible to become a National Merit Finalist: do you have to take it in 10/11th grade?

11th grade is the year that counts for National Merit, even if the student gets a qualifying score sophomore year.

[London]

11th, yes.

 

So this is 11th by age I assume? So if a kid is graduating HS at 16, it would be better to delay graduation by a year just so they could take the PSAT?

[London]

My oldest took the PSAT when he was in 9th. I emailed the guidance counsellor at the local high school and asked if he could take it there. I emailed him in late spring to give them plenty of time to order tests for my son. He said, “Sure, we always order a few extra tests in the fall.†The kids all take it in the school auditorium so there is a lot of room. Room issues can be a problem. There are rules for administering the PSAT that the desks have to be a certain distance apart, so some schools just don’t have the rooms or enough people to proctor extra kids. I told the counsellor that I’d be emailing him again to be sure nothing had changed at the start of the school year. Nothing had changed and my son took the test.

 

If our local school didn’t have room, I’d have been contacting other schools until I found one. They totally didn’t care what grade my son was in. He took it again this year in 10th grade.

 

I don’t know why you wouldn’t be able to take it just because you’d already taken college classes, but maybe there’s some reason I don’t know about. I don’t think anyone cares about kids not in 11th grade taking the PSAT. Someone answering the OP mentioned a talent search. If you’re taking the test for some sort of talent search, then I don’t know the ins and outs for that. I had my son take it just for practice being in the environment, so that when he takes it in 11th grade, he won’t have undue anxiety about unfamiliar surroundings.

 

It’s once you’re in 11th and you can try to shoot for national merit that there might be issues. I’m not sure what they do about national merit if the student already has an AA.

This isn't for a talent search. I want to give him a chance to quality for National Merit Scholarship :)

[regentrude]

So this is 11th by age I assume? So if a kid is graduating HS at 16, it would be better to delay graduation by a year just so they could take the PSAT?

 

No. 11th grade is one year before their last year of high school. If you area  homeschooler, you decide which year is the penultimate high school year, call it 11th, and take it then. Age is irrelevant.

[catz]

If your kid is graduating at 16, they would likely be 14/15 their junior year.  As a homeschooler you decide.   And yes, it only counts for NM junior year.

 

That said, NM is actually not super interesting any more in terms of rewards especially at competitive schools.   Though of course, it does look good on an app even if you aren't given merit directly for it.   I don't think you NEED to take the PSAT.  If you have a young teen ready to try it in the fall, go for it.  It's only offered once a year.  I know kids who have done it as young as 12.  But I know more young kids that did the ACT or SAT through a talent search at that age.  If they aren't testing > 95% sophomore year, it's probably not worth the time and energy to try for NM.  The PSAT is kind of a weird specific test.  I think there are very good merit options for kids that test well on the ACT or SAT as well.  

 

Kids here do dual enrollment through high school regularly and still count as their age grade.

[London]

If your kid is graduating at 16, they would likely be 14/15 their junior year.  As a homeschooler you decide.   And yes, it only counts for NM junior year.

 

That said, NM is actually not super interesting any more in terms of rewards especially at competitive schools.   Though of course, it does look good on an app even if you aren't given merit directly for it.   I don't think you NEED to take the PSAT.  If you have a young teen ready to try it in the fall, go for it.  It's only offered once a year.  I know kids who have done it as young as 12.  But I know more young kids that did the ACT or SAT through a talent search at that age.  If they aren't testing > 95% sophomore year, it's probably not worth the time and energy to try for NM.  The PSAT is kind of a weird specific test.  I think there are very good merit options for kids that test well on the ACT or SAT as well.  

 

Kids here do dual enrollment through high school regularly and still count as their age grade.

 

It still has implications for state schools, even if it doesn't matter as much for the competitive schools.

 

[RootAnn]

No. 11th grade is one year before their last year of high school. If you area  homeschooler, you decide which year is the penultimate high school year, call it 11th, and take it then. Age is irrelevant.

:iagree: I have a kid who is 10th grade by local age standards because of a later fall birthday. I waited until this year to decide if this is her 10th or 11th grade year. Before she took the PSAT last fall, we decided this was her junior year. For our state, the grade we put on the homeschool paperwork really doesn't matter, but the paperwork for the PSAT was important because of the possibility of National Merit. (We're chasing merit money. FWIW, her sophomore score was not 95%. Whether she makes NMSF this fall depends on what the test cutoffs do - stay the same or rise some. She worked hard to improve her score.)

 

It is important to take the PSAT the year before you will graduate. However, there is a loophole if you decide to graduate even earlier than you expected, but I won't go into it here. It has a time deadline.

[London]

:iagree: I have a kid who is 10th grade by local age standards because of a later fall birthday. I waited until this year to decide if this is her 10th or 11th grade year. Before she took the PSAT last fall, we decided this was her junior year. For our state, the grade we put on the homeschool paperwork really doesn't matter, but the paperwork for the PSAT was important because of the possibility of National Merit. (We're chasing merit money. FWIW, her sophomore score was not 95%. Whether she makes NMSF this fall depends on what the test cutoffs do - stay the same or rise some. She worked hard to improve her score.)

 

It is important to take the PSAT the year before you will graduate. However, there is a loophole if you decide to graduate even earlier than you expected, but I won't go into it here. It has a time deadline.

 

I hope she makes it since she has worked so hard! And thank  you for clarifying my questions :)

[Lanny]

OP My understanding is that for the PSAT/NMSQT to be competing for National Merit and/or National Hispanic Recognition Program, it must be taken during October of the Junior year (11th grade).  Possibly you can find answers to some of your questions on this URL:

 

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10

[daijobu]

My dd took the PSAT one year early for practice, in 10th grade.  Then she took it for reals in 11th.  

[Bambam]

I had my youngest take the PSAT in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. The private school that allows homeschoolers to test with them - they don't seem to care as long as you pay your fees. 

 

[gstharr]

I had my youngest take the PSAT in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. The private school that allows homeschoolers to test with them - they don't seem to care as long as you pay your fees. 

 

   You were lucky. I could not find a place that would take the 7th grader last fall.   We gave up looking, and started gearing for the SAT. He really once to try for CTY-SET.  The test date is one day before his 13th birthday.