<p>Are you a rising Sophomore, or a rising Junior? If you will be a Sophomore this fall, you can take the PSAT for practice, but you will need to re-take it when you are a Junior in order to be considered for the National Merit Scholarship program.</p>
<p>Read through the threads in this forum that discuss Guaranteed Merit-based Scholarships. If you have good enough grades and exam scores, you may qualify for a full-ride somewhere. But also do speak with the guidance counselor at your high school, and find out about state-based aid (TAP) that will help you pay for your education if you stay in NYS.</p>