Practicing the PSATs at home in 10th?

[summerreading]

I'm thinking about just printing practice tests and having DS do the PSAT at home for 10th. Is the main benefit of doing them at a testing center that they get the standardized test experience or is there something else?

[Bambam]

I had my youngest take the PSAT at a local private school for 9th and 10th grade as practice before 11th. 

I think taking it at the testing center under regular conditions is the most helpful. But I don't have any data to back that up!

We pay $20 for each test, so it is an inexpensive option plus it only takes one morning.

[RootAnn]

If your kid isn't in the running for National Merit, I don't see any issue with doing the PSAT at home for 10th. If you think he'll easily score high enough for NM, I don't see any issue with doing the PSAT at home as long as you believe you have a school who will let him take it next year. If you think it'll be borderline, I'd have him take it at a school for two reasons:  1) finding a place that'll let him take it this year might mean it is easy to get him a spot reserved next year and 2) the more familiar he is with the environment, the better he is likely to do.

It is easier & less expensive to just prep for the SAT at home (which is what the PSAT is supposed to be:  practice) than arrange to take the PSAT at a school. So, I wouldn't even bother with the PSAT unless practice tests were showing he might score high enough to be in NMSF range for my state. (Note that there can be a big increase in PSAT scores between sophomore & junior years.)

[Miss Tick]

57 minutes ago, RootAnn said:

So, I wouldn't even bother with the PSAT unless practice tests were showing he might score high enough to be in NMSF range for my state. 

How does one determine this? If I find a practice SAT test, administer it and then score it, do I compare those results to the current NMSF cutoff in my state? Apparently the magic number recently was 219, so cutting that in half gives me 110(ish), then I divide by 3 to see that my dc would need to score about 36 on each of the three sections to make the cut. Unless there is another conversion to leap from SAT scores to PSAT scores?

These big tests freak me out.

[summerreading]

19 minutes ago, SusanC said:

How does one determine this? If I find a practice SAT test, administer it and then score it, do I compare those results to the current NMSF cutoff in my state? Apparently the magic number recently was 219, so cutting that in half gives me 110(ish), then I divide by 3 to see that my dc would need to score about 36 on each of the three sections to make the cut. Unless there is another conversion to leap from SAT scores to PSAT scores?

These big tests freak me out.

 

The practice tests online have a score conversion worksheet in the answer section https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/practice/full-length-practice-tests

[RootAnn]

2 hours ago, SusanC said:

How does one determine this? If I find a practice SAT test, administer it and then score it, do I compare those results to the current NMSF cutoff in my state? Apparently the magic number recently was 219, so cutting that in half gives me 110(ish), then I divide by 3 to see that my dc would need to score about 36 on each of the three sections to make the cut. Unless there is another conversion to leap from SAT scores to PSAT scores?

These big tests freak me out.

Well, it isn't quite like that. I'd say that's equivalent to about a 730 SAT score. However, because of how the NMSC calculates the SI, it is more complicated. (Is your .sig updated? I wouldn't worry about it with 13 year olds...) Anyway, in a recent thread, I showed what different scores would add up to a certain Selection Index (SI). Let me see what I can do with a 219. I'll use SAT score equivalents because those numbers are pretty well known. The thing you need to know about the PSAT is that right now, you can't score higher than a 760 on either the math or the EBRW sections. That's the ceiling. So, that's the highest my calculations will go below.

Take your PSAT scores, drop the zeros. Double the EBRW score & add it to the math. That's your SI.

750 math, 720 EBRW
730 math, 730 EBRW
710 math, 740 EBRW
690 math, 750 EBRW
670 math, 760 EBRW

Keep in mind that it isn't unheard of to make up to a 20 point jump in SI between sophomore & junior year with a) more math instruction and/or b) targeted test prep. So, if your kid has just started Algebra 2 sophomore year when they take the PSAT and their math score is in the middle 600s, it is possible to get up into the low 700s by finishing Alg 2 (assuming you already have geo). The EBRW score is more important because it is doubled in the formula for SI. Boning up on grammar (punctuation) rules, inference skills, and reading speed can all help that EBRW score.

Each kid is different, but if your kid is within 15 points of the SI for your state after taking a practice test at home under test conditions Sophomore year, it is worth prepping for the junior year PSAT.

My caveat is that if your kid is looking at tip top schools that don't offer (significant) merit money, National Merit status may not be that important. We're considered full pay just about everywhere my kid can get in, but our EFC is completely unreasonable for our family. So, we're chasing merit money with DD#1. She's willing to consider schools which offer large scholarships for her test scores. So, your mileage may vary.

[Kassia]

9 hours ago, RootAnn said:

 

My caveat is that if your kid is looking at tip top schools that don't offer (significant) merit money, National Merit status may not be that important. We're considered full pay just about everywhere my kid can get in, but our EFC is completely unreasonable for our family. So, we're chasing merit money with DD#1. 

 

This is where we are, too.  But dd is looking at small liberal arts schools that don't give as much merit money as we need.  I told her we have to have at least one financial safety school - she has plenty to choose from with her test scores. The schools she's looking at offer very little for National Merit even though they are definitely not tip top schools.  

BTW, dd has taken SAT twice but will take PSAT for the first time next month.  Is there a way to convert her SAT score to a PSAT estimate?  

 

[RootAnn]

5 minutes ago, Kassia said:

BTW, dd has taken SAT twice but will take PSAT for the first time next month.  Is there a way to convert her SAT score to a PSAT estimate?  

Sure. It is a one-to-one correlation. If she got a 710 EBRW and a 730 math, those should be pretty close to her PSAT score. (I'm just tossing numbers out there.) To calculate her SI, just drop the zeros, double the EBRW, and add the math. In my example above, the SI would be 142+73=215.

Edited to add that if her scores are over 760 in either of the sections, just round down.

Edited September 20, 2018 by RootAnn

[Miss Tick]

10 hours ago, RootAnn said:

(Is your .sig updated? I wouldn't worry about it with 13 year olds...)

Yes, I know I'm letting my anxieties show. OP said her child took the PSAT starting in 9th grade, and that is right around the corner, and should we do that, and what would I do with the scores, and..., and... I compensate by information gathering, so I appreciate your patient responses! 

[RootAnn]

19 minutes ago, SusanC said:

Yes, I know I'm letting my anxieties show. OP said her child took the PSAT starting in 9th grade, and that is right around the corner, and should we do that, and what would I do with the scores, and..., and... 

My oldest read this and said, "She sounds like you." Yep, I was this way when my eldest was younger. I like to think I've mellowed (a little).

I made my oldest take the ACT in 8th. ?

Edited September 20, 2018 by RootAnn

[Miss Tick]

52 minutes ago, RootAnn said:

My oldest read this and said, "She sounds like you." Yep, I was this way when my eldest was younger. I like to think I've mellowed (a little).

I made my oldest take the ACT in 8th. ?

Funny! Just last night I was thinking about how much more mellow i am with my youngest than my two oldest. ?

[Arcadia]

2 hours ago, SusanC said:

Yes, I know I'm letting my anxieties show. OP said her child took the PSAT starting in 9th grade, and that is right around the corner

 

DS13 is in 9th grade. A center I check with for proctoring other exams told me they are fully booked for PSAT back in August. The owner said he could take bookings for next year’s PSAT if DS13 is certain he wants to try in 10th grade. So never too early to check out potential test centers.

1 hour ago, RootAnn said:

I made my oldest take the ACT in 8th. ?

 

Mine took in 6th. They are a year apart so no mellowing effect.

[mirabillis]

Here's what we did. I had my oldest (now a Jr) take the PSAT locally both 9th & 10th. Both times he took it cold - having only taken a practice PSAT in the weeks beforehand, so he would know what to expect. It is fantastic standardized test experience with no risk. The 9th/10th grade scores are not provided to universities. It is great practice for upcoming AP tests, SAT II subject tests, the SAT/ACT in jr year, the real PSAT in 11th grade.

For $20 or under, it is worth it. Now m 2nd (9th grade) will follow the same path. First is going for NMSF this year as a junior - he's in the running. 2nd (9th) is going for experience. Totally worth it - if ANY standardized testing are in your future. Early hour, the possible anxiety of testing outside the home, etc etc - nothing compares to a real live dry run.

**ETA - we have found this year in particular that you have to start really early to get a PSAT spot - like in the summer, maybe June... we barely got in by the skin of our teeth.

Edited September 20, 2018 by mirabillis

[Frances]

3 hours ago, Kassia said:

 

This is where we are, too.  But dd is looking at small liberal arts schools that don't give as much merit money as we need.  I told her we have to have at least one financial safety school - she has plenty to choose from with her test scores. The schools she's looking at offer very little for National Merit even though they are definitely not tip top schools.  

BTW, dd has taken SAT twice but will take PSAT for the first time next month.  Is there a way to convert her SAT score to a PSAT estimate?  

 

While they may not offer much directly for National Merit, I still think it can make a big difference when getting merit aid from top LACs. While my son was accepted to a few top LACs that give no merit aid, some of the ones that do were very generous to him and I think being a NMS definitely helped, even though none of the big scholarships he received were directly tied to being a NMS.

[Frances]

39 minutes ago, mirabillis said:

Here's what we did. I had my oldest (now a Jr) take the PSAT locally both 9th & 10th. Both times he took it cold - having only taken a practice PSAT in the weeks beforehand, so he would know what to expect. It is fantastic standardized test experience with no risk. The 9th/10th grade scores are not provided to universities. It is great practice for upcoming AP tests, SAT II subject tests, the SAT/ACT in jr year, the real PSAT in 11th grade.

For $20 or under, it is worth it. Now m 2nd (9th grade) will follow the same path. First is going for NMSF this year as a junior - he's in the running. 2nd (9th) is going for experience. Totally worth it - if ANY standardized testing are in your future. Early hour, the possible anxiety of testing outside the home, etc etc - nothing compares to a real live dry run.

**ETA - we have found this year in particular that you have to start really early to get a PSAT spot - like in the summer, maybe June... we barely got in by the skin of our teeth.

We did something very similar, completely cold testing at the local public school. Once we knew he was in the running for National Merit, we switched to a small, local private school for the real thing because at the public school they used bleachers for desks and put everyone who was testing in the gym. It also took them forever to get organized and going and they did all of the instructions in two languages, so it really prolonged the testing experience. We did use the public school later for AP testing because so few students took the test that they put them in a small, quite room with no distractions.