Should a Freshman Take the PSAT?

Let us first remind you of the purpose of the PSAT before we provide the solution. This will enable you to decide if it meets your needs as a freshman student in terms of academics. The PSAT is primarily used to determine your eligibility for National Merit Scholarships and other awards. PSAT is handled by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The company may bestow on you honors like Semifinalist, Finalist, or Commended Scholar depending on your test results. The top 1% of students may potentially be awarded financial scholarships.

Only juniors in high school are eligible for NMSC honors. Therefore, even with a flawless PSAT score from your first year, you cannot be selected for the National Merit. However, if you want to be in the top 1%, you can still take it for practice and preparation to get a better grade. To gain that experience, you should at the very least take it in your sophomore year, even if you don't take it in your first year.

Apart from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation awards, PSAT is helpful for one more reason. It acts as a good practice for the SAT exam. While the ‘P’ in PSAT actually represents ‘preliminary’, not ‘practice’, this popular misconception is somewhat related to the truth. The content and types of questions asked in the SAT are closely aligned with that of the PSAT.  

Both tests check the student’s understanding of critical reading, writing, and math (although there is no essay writing in the PSAT). Both tests contain questions on the meaning in context, whether it is in relation to a graph, passage, or anything else. Preparing for the PSAT exam and appearing in it will definitely help you develop the essential skills required to score high on the SAT. It also prepares you to perform well under strict timelines and applying strategies like guessing or eliminating the wrong answers to multiple-choice questions. Both the SAT and PSAT exams contain multiple-choice questions. There are no point deductions for wrong answers, though.

Apart from testing similar skills to those required for the SAT, taking the PSAT helps you estimate how well you can perform on the PSAT. The scoring on the PSAT ranges from 320 to 1520, with math constituting a score of 160-760 and the writing and reading sections constituting the same. SAT is scored out of 1600, with Math having a range of 200-800 and the Reading and Writing sections having the same.  

The scales for the two tests are very similar, with the PSAT score being slightly lower due to the fact that it is a little easier than the SAT. How well you perform on the PSAT indicates how well you can expect to perform on the SAT, with the awareness of SAT being a little more challenging.  

Not only can PSAT scores be used as a predictor of how well you can perform on the SAT, but they can also be used to set goals and increase your target scores. Therefore, beginning to get familiar with the PSAT during the first year can only help, as scoring high on such exams is all about preparation and experience. But again, it is for you to decide if you want to take the official PSAT or simply practice on your own with PSAT tests.  

Taking the PSAT can also help you connect with colleges. Tests like SAT and PSAT will help you prepare for applying to colleges. The PSAT can provide your contact details to colleges (if you want to) so they can get in touch with you and share details about the events on their campus, other deadlines, and scholarships.  

If you want to get on the colleges’ rader from early on, then it might be another reason to take the PSAT in the first year. Another way to develop contact with the colleges would be to reach them through their individual websites.  

Now that you are aware of the various benefits taking the PSAT in 9th grade can grant you, what is your final decision? Do you think it will be worthwhile to take it as a freshman?

Should you take the PSAT as a freshman?

It depends on you. Even though the first year is too early for you to be worrying about the PSAT, if you are determined enough, the real-test experience it can give you will be extremely beneficial for your future endeavors. You will get an idea about the real testing conditions and also get an official score report that can help you in setting your targets and formulate a study plan for the next attempt.  

If you decide on taking PSAT in 9th grade, you can talk about it with your school counselor. Schools usually automatically help the juniors sign up, but first-year students might need to specifically ask for the registration. If, however, you decide to skip the test, for now, you can go about taking practice tests and self-studying. That way, when you prepare for the PSAT as a sophomore, you will have a head start, and the whole process will seem much easier.  

Freshman Year Focus: The Essentials

Apart from PSAT, are there other things you need to focus on as a freshman?

Colleges consider the records of all four years of high school, whether it is your academic performance, the courses you chose, your community involvement and extracurricular activities, or your summer activities. It is also important to deeply exhibit your involvement and interest in a certain area to impress colleges. The admission authorities might understand exploration in the first year, but they usually prefer students who are committed to their careers overall.  

Additionally, the first year is a good time to try out clubs and activities to find ones that really interest you and in which you can not only excel but those that might also place you in a position for leadership later in college.

Challenging yourself in honor classes and college preparation is also a smart move as a freshman. Make sure to take Geometry and Algebra by the time you will be taking the SAT. You will also need to have a good understanding of trigonometry and calculus if you are planning on taking the ACT.  

Conclusion  

To conclude, freshman year is a good time to explore and take tests to add to your experience, unless taking those is not rendering you lacking in other areas. If you are looking for blogs like the one you are reading right now as a freshman, you are probably well aware of the importance of good preparation for exams like the PSAT and SAT. You are trying to give yourself a good head start by studying, as well as developing essential skills like writing, critical reading, and math skills. Some first-year students even take the official SAT as part of their study plan to gauge their level and aim for a higher SAT score in 9th grade. By staying aware and active, you are already preparing yourself for college applications.  

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