Which PSAT for 9th graders taking it this October at the public school

[mlktwins]

My boys are taking the PSAT for the 1st time this fall.  All public schooled 9th graders in our county are required to take it.  I want my boys to take it to gain experience testing under the PSAT testing conditions since they are taking their first SAT subject test in June.  

I am trying to determine which PSAT test they will be taking so I can order a test book for them to look through.  Their base school site just says PSAT for 9th, 10th, and 11th grades and the homeschool section of the county site mentions the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), but nothing about which test specific grades take.  I see test books for PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, and the PSAT/NMSQT.

I am calling the school later this week to get them signed up (the deadline is 9/15), but was hoping someone here would know so I can order the prep book :-).

 

[Lori D.]

It will all depend on the schools in your area. (Which versions of the PSAT they offer, and when, and whether or not students below grade 11 are permitted to take the PSAT/NMS!T version.)

Here's a detailed article on the Prep Scholar website about all 3 versions of the PSAT.

JMO: since your DSs are just going into 9th grade, unless they are advanced (esp. in math), there is no reason to take the PSAT/NMSQT this year. And probably no pressing need to take the PSAT 10 this year, unless you'd like them to "see it" twice (this year and next year). The PSAT 10 is the same length as the PSAT/NMSQT, and both are longer than the PSAT 8/9. (That article I linked lists what is in each test, and the differences between them.)

The PSAT/NMST is the PSAT ("Preliminary SAT") that, when taken in 11th grade, if scoring high enough (99th percentile), a student may become semi-finalist, and then possibly a finalist for a National Merit Scholarship (NMS) -- which is what NMSQT stands for (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test). When taken in 9th or 10th grade, scores do not count towards NMS. It is only offered once per year, in mid-October.

If all your district is mentioning is PSAT/NMSQT, then that may be the only version of the exam they are offering. The PSAT/NMS!T "counts" for 11th graders, while 10th graders, or even 9th graders who take this test are doing so for "practice" for when they are in 11th grade.

The PSAT 10 is the practice PSAT for 10th graders; the PSAT 8/9 is the practice PSAT for 8th and 9th graders. When the PSAT 8/9 and PSAT 10 were first released several years ago, they were only offered in the spring. It looks like schools now have the choice of dates, ranging from Sept. through Mar. for offering these 2 tests. You will need to ask which version of the test the school is offering. The school may have limited seating, so they may be only allowing 11th graders to take the PSAT/NMSQT (since that's the grade it "counts" for), and shunt lower grade students to the PSAT 8/9 and 10 tests. Or, the school may be offering the PSAT 8/9 and PSAT 10 in the spring, in which case you could still sign up, but would have plenty of time for practice.

According to that Prep Scholar article I linked, there is no need to prep if taking the PSAT 8/9 as that is just a prep test for the PSAT 10 -- which in turn, is a prep test for the PSAT/NMSQT (which in turn, is a prep test for the SAT Reasoning Test). Since there is no scholarship $$ riding on the PSAT 8/9 or PSAT 10, you might just look over the College Board prep guide for the PSAT 8/9 or PSAT 10.

There is a $17 per-student fee for taking the PSAT, and some schools charge another $5-10 per student on top of that fee to cover their expenses for providing proctors, a facility, etc.

Edited September 2, 2019 by Lori D.

[mlktwins]

I will find out this week when I call then :-).  The prep book is for them to read through how to take the test and go through a few questions.   I am not worried about what score they get.  I do want them to do well on the SAT Subject Test in June though.

[RootAnn]

@mlktwins If what they will be takingbis tge PSAT/NMSQT, the school should have a booklet to give them (no additional cost) that has information about the test & a practice test included. This, I think, is the booklet - although this PDF doesn't have the full length practice test. 

There are also free official practice tests online.

So, just ask for it when you register. But you can get them started now. Khan Academy has two practice tests for the PSAT online that you can print out for them.

[mlktwins]

5 minutes ago, RootAnn said:

@mlktwins If what they will be takingbis tge PSAT/NMSQT, the school should have a booklet to give them (no additional cost) that has information about the test & a practice test included. This, I think, is the booklet - although this PDF doesn't have the full length practice test. 

There are also free official practice tests online.

So, just ask for it when you register. But you can get them started now. Khan Academy has two practice tests for the PSAT online that you can print out for them.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!  I had been on Khan Academy and saw the SAT Test Prep course (practice program), but not for PSAT.  Now I've found the practice tests :-)!

[mom1720]

One thing to note, since you mentioned both -- the approach to the SAT vs the SAT subject tests are a bit different. On the SAT there are no penalties for guessing/wrong answers, whereas for the SAT subject tests there are penalties for wrong answers. From the college board for subject test scoring:

• One point is added for each correct answer.
• A fraction of a point is subtracted for wrong answers:
  • 1/4 point is subtracted for five-choice questions.
  • 1/3 point is subtracted for four-choice questions.
  • 1/2 point is subtracted for three-choice questions.
• No points are deducted for unanswered questions.
• If the resulting score is a fraction, it is rounded to the nearest whole number — 1/2 or more is rounded up; less than 1/2 is rounded down.

Just something to keep in mind while prepping.

Best of luck!

[EKS]

On 9/3/2019 at 6:26 AM, RootAnn said:

There are also free official practice tests online.

I'd recommend not wasting the official PSAT practice tests on a 9th grade administration.  There are only two of them.  I'd save them for the junior year administration.  I'd also not waste any of the official SAT practice tests or any of the Khan practice materials.

Note that all of the PSATs and the SAT are the same tests, just with different ceilings.  In other words, the PSAT is exactly like the SAT except with the harder questions removed, and this is also what differentiates the PSATs from one another.  Because of this, you can get a PSAT/NMSQT practice book and it will cover all of the PSATs.

Edited September 4, 2019 by EKS

[daijobu]

I agree with skipping the 9th grade PSAT.  Wait until 10th grade and take the regular PSAT (not the 8/9/10) cold, no prep.  If your student's 10th grade score is in the ball park for the National Merit cut off in your state, then s/he can spend the next year prepping for it.  

I don't think taking the other versions of the PSAT provides you with useful information.  Taking the PSAT 2 years ahead of time is likewise too early to determine if your student is a candidate for National Merit.  

[mlktwins]

56 minutes ago, daijobu said:

I agree with skipping the 9th grade PSAT.  Wait until 10th grade and take the regular PSAT (not the 8/9/10) cold, no prep.  If your student's 10th grade score is in the ball park for the National Merit cut off in your state, then s/he can spend the next year prepping for it.  

I don't think taking the other versions of the PSAT provides you with useful information.  Taking the PSAT 2 years ahead of time is likewise too early to determine if your student is a candidate for National Merit.  

I hear what you are saying.  Here is where I'm coming from and I value everyone's input because this is my first (and last time) going through high school :-).  Just this past May, they took their first proctored exam (ITBS).  They both did very well, but the conditions are not the same for taking the PSAT/SAT.  They are currently taking an Honors Biology class that is set up for them to take the SAT Subject Test in June (with additional studying of course, and the ability/recommendation to set up a study group within the class).  Many of the colleges we would be looking at are requiring us to have 2-3 Subject Tests and I would like to get one out of the way since they are taking the class anyway.  I know the SAT Subject Test is shorter, but there will be a lot more kids/distractions in that testing environment than there were in the homeschool proctored ITBS test they just took.  Our local schools have 2500+ kids in them and this is likely where they will be taking all their the PSAT/SAT/AP exams.  If they had decided to go the local public school for 9th grade, they would be required to take the PSAT in 9th.  I'm not really worried about scores as much as testing experience in that kind of environment.  Is there no benefit to taking the PSAT given my goals?

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond!  I feel like I am kind of blowing in the wind with this high school stuff -- LOL.

 

[daijobu]

Thank you for clarifying.  In that case I would go for the PSAT 9, or whatever the other 9th graders are taking.  

There is value in getting some familiarity with the school where subsequent testing will happen, and in knowing what the routine is at that particular school.  When he returns for the SAT subject test, the whole experience will be less stressful. 

At the local high school where we do SAT subject testing, it's kind of a mad house, with tons of drop off car traffic, 100s of kids milling around the yard, and lists of students and room numbers posted in various places on the walls, outdoors in the cold morning air.  The administrator came out with a megaphone it was so chaotic.  Our first go at this was fairly stressful, but after that first year we knew the ropes.  (We also learned to stand clear of the business end of the megaphone.)

The only negative I can see is if they have any test taking anxiety.  Barring that, you can assure your student that the score doesn't really "count" and this is all about learning how testing works at this particular school.

[Roadrunner]

I wouldn’t bother personally. I really don’t think “experience” in test taking matters this much. I would just take it the sophomore year instead. I think either way you decide, your boys will be just fine. I also have a 9th grader and I don’t even plan on having him take it until his junior year.