<p>Crazy parents and wrong-headed approaches to test prep are not reasons to reduce the number of dates (or school grades) when tests are available. And misinformed high school counselors who think it's not important to take the PSAT in eleventh grade ought to be FIRED.</p>
<p>at my HS I believe everyone took the PSAT in 10th, then the SAT in 11th, and we could retake the SAT in 12th if we wanted. I thought that was common... unless i'm remembering it wrong.</p>
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Which means that sometime in the late summer the schools are given a certain index score. If the state's national merit cutoff was, say 215, then the index is around 185 (or 30 points difference) and then schools can send out letters or have conferences or whatever with all the kids who scored 185 or better in 10th grade encouraging them to take the PSAT because they have a good chance of becoming commended, or possibly national merit semifinalists.
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<p>I've never heard of this. While I'm generally pleased with my daughter's high school, the guidance department is woeful. Less than half of our kids go on to 4 yr colleges so there's a lot of emphasis on vocational programs. They miss the boat on the top end kids sometimes. My daughter scored just below our very high semifinalist cutoff (NJ) as a sophomore and no one at the school has said a thing to her. Obviously I'm very engaged in this process and on top of things, but what if she had different parents and never knew how important taking it is to take it again as a junior? The potential money involved is huge. We're definitely a family that would consider NM-associated merit aid.</p>
<p>Near the end of 10th grade, we got a letter saying that our son was in the top whatever percentage of 10th graders in the district who took the PSAT, inviting him to take a special PSAT review class (for a fee) during summer school. We opted for a more extensive PSAT/SAT review course, that I predict won't end up helping his score much. (If so, lesson learned for the next two kids.)</p>
<p>I wish I 'd known about these boards last spring. I didn't know where I could find the state cut-offs for NMSF. His score was pretty high for 10th graders but pretty far from the typical Texas MNSF cut off...I predict that he'll be commended, but I'd be astounded if he was able to increase it enough to make NMSF. The math just gets him on every test.</p>
<p>Good lord I am a woefully ignorant parent. We just do what the kids' school tells us to do.</p>
<p>Alumother, where is the rest of your post? It's so odd...in my email notification, there were two more (long) paragraphs to you post. But they aren't here and no indication that you edited the message.</p>
<p>Here's another link to the LA Times article (the first one prompted me to sign-up)
<a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-psat18oct18,1,1415286.story?ctrack=1&cset=true%5B/url%5D">http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-psat18oct18,1,1415286.story?ctrack=1&cset=true</a></p>
<p>Occasionally you hear of someone who scores a 1600 SAT but was not a Merit Scholar because they did not know to take the PSAT in the 11th grade. Of course, they will have other opportunities, but it does make the point that some people ignore the NMSQT part of the PSAT/NMSQT.</p>
<p>I edited my post. </p>
<p>I thought better of talking in detail about my son's story...because I know really I talk about it in part because I am secretly bragging about his test scores and I caught myself and tried to behave better.</p>
<p>I guess some of you have found out anyway:).</p>
<p>We live in a highly competitive society. You need to prepare if you want to compete fairly (and win). There are many children spending countless hours practicing for sports for years in a row (many with the hope of getting a scholarship to college). Somehow academic preparation is not seen in the same light. The PSAT/NMSQT is a practice test for the SAT and it's given in the 11th grade. End of story. .... Not quite. Like imdamom said, a lot of scholarship money is riding on the results, thus the practice for the practice and then the prep for the practice for the practice (somehow it reminds me of the "assistant assistant assistant). The question is not if we do it, but when do we start.</p>
<p>By the way, a $4000 scholarship for four years is the equivalent of your child working every year of high school, earning $5000 (20% tax bracket) and saving every penny (in many cases $4000 will be a conservative figure, so you do the numbers).</p>
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<blockquote> <p>at my HS I believe everyone took the PSAT in 10th, then the SAT in 11th, and we could retake the SAT in 12th if we wanted. I thought that was common...<<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>More common is for every junior to take the PSAT in the fall (to help prep for the SAT), take the SAT in May or June and to re-take the SAT in the fall of senior year (if desired).</p>
<p>But at our house, the PSAT has always been about trying to get to become a NMSF.</p>
<p>And in today's world that seem to be the way it should be. Look up today's Miami Herald from page (Herald.com) and see how difficult it has become to get into the state university system. Every little bit counts. Unfortunately it all translates into more pressure at an earlier age for our children.</p>