PSAT

I'm going to be a junior this upcoming school year. I have never taken a PSAT test during my sophomore year. And juniors can't take the PSAT test but we can start taking the SATs. Am I in trouble? I heard that you need a PSAT score in the USAFA Summer seminar application? What happens if I don't put a PSAT score in te application since I never took it?

Thanks in advance

Juniors CAN take the PSAT. In fact, it's taking the PSAT in your junior year that counts for the National Merit Scholarship.

TrackStarFalcon said:

I'm going to be a junior this upcoming school year. I have never taken a PSAT test during my sophomore year. And juniors can't take the PSAT test but we can start taking the SATs. Am I in trouble? I heard that you need a PSAT score in the USAFA Summer seminar application? What happens if I don't put a PSAT score in te application since I never took it?

Thanks in advance

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As Futuremarinemom said, take the PSAT this school year. Ask your GC about it. If you don't take it for whatever reason, still apply for SS and leave the PSAT score blank. Be sure to report all of your activities and leadership positions that you can. Best wishes.

you dont need PSAT

You don't need PSAT scores. You CAN use official PSAT, SAT or ACT scores. My best advice to you is to take the next available act or sat if you cant take the PSAT. You will need scores back by about December. You will be in plenty of time if you take September or October tests. My sons ACT scores were higher than his psat scores, we never even reported his psat scores.

However, you do want to take the PSAT if there is a chance for you to receive National Merit Scholarship.

Unless something has changed in the past two yrs, PSATs the HS usually rounds up all of the Jrs. one day in October. The test is given during school hours unlike the SAT/ACT.

The test being a national test is given on the same day across the country just like the SAT/ACT or AP testing. I would talk to your GC and check to see if they really do not offer it to jrs. If they do not ask the GC to locate the nearest HS that does and see if you can take it there.

I can only see one reason the school would not give the PSAT, and that would be if the school is private and not accredited by college board. I can't see a public hs not giving the test especially as others have stated the only way to become and NMF is to take the PSAT as a jr.

Pima said:

Unless something has changed in the past two yrs, PSATs the HS usually rounds up all of the Jrs. one day in October.

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Oh Pima, didnt you notice things have changed-that change is M-O-N-E-Y. We are broker now. Our state is busy trying to pay keep its governors in/out of jail.

Our state for example has made many changes to the testing situation to reflect our new reality.

Example 1. Our state used to have all Juniors sit down one day in April to take the ACT w/writing. Our state used this criteria to coincide NCLB (no child left behind). However since NCLB did not use writing data the state in its infinite wisdom decided to not pay or include the writing portion of the ACT when the statewide testing occurred. There was no option/method for parents to pay to add the writing portion. Little to no warning was offered to parents that this section was eliminated. Parents who even noted this new unfortunate development had to scramble to get into a ACT testing date that offered the writing portion to be able to send to colleges that require it (at this point ~60% of colleges require ACT+writing). Honestly and truly it is my opinion that most parents of the entering senior class do not even realize that their child did not take a complete ACT last year and will have an unfortunate surprise with college applications starting.

Example 2 (and more relevant to this situation): PSAT's cost alot of money. Our school (I dont know if this is state wide) gave students a choice. You can take the PSAT for a non subsidized fee or a free Practice ACT that will give you a booklet with your correct/incorrect answers. Most parents on the face of this -regardless of the money would choose the free practcice act test because our geographical area almost solely takes the ACT so why bother paying for a practice SAT? Also Students have to register for the PSAT the first or second week of school and those who do not register for PSAT will automatically be registered for the practice ACT. Grrrrr! Enter into it the fee...very few at my son's school took the psat.

Having said that our entire junior class has to sit down and take the State Administered Work Keys assessments; wasted day of useless testing again for NCLB). the students know its BS and after all the testing they take they know matters to them (acts, final exams, ap exams, etc) they dont even try on this one. sad really.

My son (upon my directive) took the PSAT last October and hopefully in September 2012 will receive National Merit Scholarship. However, his ACT scores were higher so we used those for summer leadership applications.

As for the original poster. go to your guidance counceler. tell them you need a PSAT they will help you figure it out. But you dont NEED it for summer leadership applications (your original question)

Good luck!
Vista123

ps--sorry all-i have a couple of soap box issues-and this is one-sometimes my righteous indignation comes out...I will tuck it back in now

I understand what you are saying about the money issue.

Long ago when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was in HS we did not pay the fee for the AP test, but now kids do. In the 2 hs my kids attended in 2 different states it was you pay for the AP test the 1st week of school, if the child scores a 3 or higher they would refund you in June after they took the test. No for some paying is not a big deal, but when you have a child taking 5 APs that 1st week of school can be several hundred dollars. On top of that if the school has a Jump start program at the local CC you have to pay for their classes there too. One yr it was almost a 1000 bucks for us between the AP and the Jump Start classes.

That of course is before paying for the SAT and ACT all spring and fall or the 75 buck a pop for college applications. That 6 months between spring jr yr and fall senior yr is a great way to start prepping parents for how expensive college will be in tiny little steps.

I quickly came to realize that by doing this the schools were finding a unique way to reduce class size or hire less teachers and on top of that add to their discretionary funding.

That being said all 3 of our kids in hs were rounded up for a morning of PSAT testing and we did not pay for the test. There was no registering for the PSAT. The school registered all of the kids their jr. yr. To tell you the truth, I only found out about at dinner time...so how was school today? Fine, we took the PSAT and so now I have no homework! Seriously, that was how it worked both in VA and NC for all 3 of my kids. One did tell me the night before because he was scrambling to find his calculator!

I forgot that typically it is the kids on the coast, especially the east coast that really take the SAT. In our area of VA you can't risk the chance of paying a late fee if you want to take the SAT within a 45 mile radii, they book out that quickly. However, you can pass the late fee, and do a walk in for the ACT at the nearest HS because that is how rare it is for kids to take the ACT.

For that reason I change my statement about why a school wouldn't offer it. It maybe as you stated there is no real demand to have the school pay to administer the PSAT.

I would only stress taking it for one real reason. That NMSF/NMF issue. Look at the colleges you want to attend, somewhere in their big website they will have an academic breakdown of the students attending. They love to boast about the % of NMSF/NMF students. It is not a hook unless you are an NMF, but it is an edge even as an NMSF for admission purposes.

I would also take it because some kids do better on the SAT and some do better on the ACT. The rule of thumb is add a 0 behind your PSAT score and that is your SAT ball park. For example 209 would be 2090. You now can take the ACT in Oct/Nov/Dec. and work your way backwards by using the conversion chart to see which test is a better fit after you take the ACT.