By Janelle Fernandez
Throughout the course of your high school life, you will hear quite a bit about the SAT… perhaps a little bit about the PSAT … and you may never hear of the SAT Subject Tests until very late into your highschool career. What I’m here to talk to you about today is some information about the SAT-related tests that can get you better prepared for them, and hopefully able to make yourself even more appealing to colleges.
First we will start with the PSAT. The most common misconception about the PSAT is that it stands for “practice SAT,” or a practice scholastic aptitude test. However, the “P” in PSAT, stands for “preliminary”. Understanding this can make a huge difference in the mentality of those taking it, because a practice test is often not seen as having consequences, or really being all that important. While the SAT and the SAT Subject Tests are much more important, the PSAT can be very important.
The PSAT can lead to scholarships and academic rewards, depending on how well one does on it. The PSAT can also be an influencing factor in many academic programs; where your PSAT scores will determine your acceptance into them. Everyone should take the PSAT more seriously, which means that you should study a bit for it even in your freshman year so that you are better prepared for it and can score higher.
While it shouldn’t be a main priority, doing extra prep-work can allow you to be ahead of the game, and can permit opportunities that may put you in a higher standing with colleges. One of the best ways to prepare for the PSAT is to buy a PSAT or a SAT study book, then learn tips and strategies from the book while practicing. While the school gives you a book sophomore year, for free, if you want to get started early as a freshman, you can purchase one online, or at a bookstore.
While there may not be very many PSAT study classes, SAT study classes will prepare you for both the PSAT and the SAT at the same time. A large number of them are free.
Many websites offer free practice tests plus tips and questions for the SAT, all of which you can take advantage of as a way to study for the PSAT.
Although out of most students’ or their household’s price range, there are formal classes, online courses, and even private tutors for the SAT, which can greatly improve how you score on the PSAT and eventually the SAT. Unfortunately, these special classes can also cost a lot of money.
The transition from freshman year into sophomore year is very tough for some. Some of you may take AP, or honors classes, and as you focus on those classes, you won’t have a lot of free time for extra study. You may be confronting increased expectations and responsibilities in other aspects of your life as well as you proceed through high school. But preparing properly for the PSAT, and taking it seriously, will help with arguably one of the most important parts of your college application, the SAT—and it can open up many other important opportunities for you.