<p>Please offer me your thoughts on taking the PSAT in addition to the ACT junior year. </p>
<p>On one hand, PSAT gives you a chance a NMS money and can put that credential on your app, which is nice. </p>
<p>On the other hand if you live in the ACT part of the world (we do) its a distraction from the ACT, and the rewards arent that great unless you go to a NMS-friendly school. </p>
<p>My son would likely be competitive (PLAN score was mid 30's). Should I advise him to do it and if so, how much prep should he do vs ACT ?</p>
<p>The maximum score on the PLAN test is 32, so if your son is scoring close to that then I would recommend he take the PSAT because of the scholarships he might receive if he does well. Students that take the PSAT can qualify for NMSQT scholarships. Another benefit of studying for the PSAT is it will help prepare him to take the SAT which he might do better on than the ACT. Some students do better on the SAT and some do better on the ACT, and since colleges accept both exams, it only makes sense to submit the score on the one your son does better on. It’s hard to say the amount of prep time he will need. I would suggest you buy him the Blue Book (basically the SAT bible) and have him take a few exams to see how he does with it.</p>
<p>The PSAT is definitely worth it. The National Merit scholarship itself is small ($2500, I believe) but a ton of schools have large merit scholarships and special perks for National Merit Semifinalists/Finalists. USC gives Semifinalists the Presidential scholarship (half-tuition) which also makes them eligible for the honors dorm. One school that I didn’t even apply to sent me an offer of a full ride, research/study abroad stipend, and free laptop – just because I’m a National Merit Finalist.</p>
<p>Also, I don’t think you should worry too much about the PSAT being a distraction from the ACT. Pretty much every college looks at the SAT and ACT equally, even if parents and high schools don’t.</p>
<p>Many study skills can help you on both tests. I’m in SAT country, so the PSAT was a big school-wide thing. But I’m so glad I took it. I did some self-paced SAT question of the day and “Blue Book” prep for the PSAT and did very well. I’m so happy to have that National Merit status that can be a buzzword for college scholarships. I didn’t have to prep as much when I went to take the SAT in January of my junior year, and now that I’m prepping for this Saturday’s ACT I see many overlaps. Remember that PSAT is in October of junior year, and many students do not take ACT/SAT until spring of junior year (though you’re welcome to start any time). I think it is an amazing opportunity.</p>
<p>The PSAT shows you a rough estimate on how you would score on the SAT. The questions are very similar, although a bit easier since students are younger when they take it. Also, there’s no essay and fewer questions. PSAT is good in preparing for the SAT, but I’ve never taken the ACT so I can’t compare. But if your son takes the PSAT, he could qualify for the scholarships. Also, if he does well enough to qualify for the scholarships, he should consider taking the SAT anyway. It means he has a good chance of scoring well on that too. Just because you live in a place that leans more toward the ACT doesn’t mean the SAT isn’t an option. There are still testing centers in ACT country for kids who do both or just the SAT, and if your son does both, he’ll have more scores to choose from so he can look the best he can on his application. I recommend it.</p>
<p>I live in the midwest (ACT country) and I made sure my DDs took the PSAT. You can’t beat some NMF scholarships. It’s well worth it.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t blow it off. My daughter did well on the plan(near perfect score) but she took the PSAT(didn’t make NMSF), but at least she tried.</p>
<p>Take the PSAT. Even if your school charges you $15 or whatever to take the test, $15 for a chance to recieve $2500+ and recognition is totally worth it. Especially if you are Hispanic or African American, your chances of qualifying for competition and scholarships are increased with the National Achievement Scholarship Program and National Hispanic Recognition Program. Although not by much, qualifying is only a few points lower than NMSF, but evey little bit helps 
And honestly, college admissions officers weigh the SAT and the ACT the same. I heard this straight from the mouth of admissions officers from Stanford, UPenn, Duke, Harvard, and Georgetown at a college informational session when a student asked that exact question to the panel. Good luck!</p>
<p>The PSAT is worth it in many ways. There is the possibility of becoming a NMSF, obtaining scholarships, etc.etc. Plus, it’s good practice for the SAT.</p>
<p>The only downside that I can see is if you are like me and have trouble switching gears quickly. The ACT and SAT/PSAT have different formats, so you have to think a bit differently for each individual test. I took a practice ACT before I even heard about the PSAT, and I got a 35 because it was so easy. The fact that the ACT and SAT are different turned out to be a big problem for me.</p>
<p>I started studying a lot for the SAT and raised my predicted score from a 1600 to a 2300, but now, if I tried taking an ACT, I would have trouble getting more than a 25…</p>
<p>Or maybe it’s just my problem, I dunno…
But yeah, the PSAT is great. I would recommend taking it, even if it’s just for the experience.</p>
<p>Take the PSAT!!! You need to know your strengths And weaknesses. It really is worth the effort.</p>
<p>Doing well on the PSAT really matters based on which state you are living in. If you live in the New England states, the cutoffs are around 221-225 for NMSF so it may not be worth the effort. If you are in a state with a lower cutoff, then you definitely want to do well on the PSAT since you can get a lot in external scholarships from it.
Here’s a list of states and their cutoffs from last year:
[National</a> Merit Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.collegeplanningsimplified.com/NationalMerit.html]National”>http://www.collegeplanningsimplified.com/NationalMerit.html)</p>