Should son take PSAT as a sophomore?

<p>At our high school, which is not strongly oriented to competitive college admissions, sophomores and juniors take the PSAT during the school day (not on a Saturday) They do not need to pay as the registration fee is provided by the school district. I think it is a good idea to take it as a sophomore as it is good to have some experience with the test before it counts for anything, such as National Merit. There is no way a poor sophomore score can possibly count against you (or, for that matter, a good score can help you) in college admissions, so it is simply practice taking the test under actual conditions.</p>

<p>"Well, not quite. If you hope to be eligible for National Merit Scholar you MUST take the PSAT in your junior year. Sophomore year doesn't count, unless you are graduating early."</p>

<p>Not so sure about that, both my kids were NMF and both took the PSAT once, in the spring of their Sophomore year.</p>

<p>Both took the SAT the spring of their junior years. That way we had the results back in the summer of their junior-senior year and we could give schools that information while looking around. Scores were good enough so we could concentrate on schools we wanted to look at with a strong idea of what their offer was going to be..</p>

<p>the other aspect of our testing schedule was the hetic pace of senior year. We applied to around 10 schools for each child..that's alot of paperwork to go ontop of senior year activities, sports (HS and club),dances, AP classes and maintaining gpa's and applying for merit scholarships. Getting the SAT out of the way and behind us, worked pretty well. One less stressor.</p>

<p>Carolyn, as usual is correct. From the National Merit Scholar site:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.nationalmerit.org/entering.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nationalmerit.org/entering.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>When to Take the PSAT/NMSQT®</p>

<p>Students who plan to spend four years in high school (grades 9 through 12) before entering college full time must take the PSAT/NMSQT in their third year (grade 11, junior year). They will be entering the competition that ends when awards are offered in the spring of their fourth high school year (grade 12, senior year), the same year they will leave high school and enter college.</p>

<p>Although some schools encourage their sophomores to take the PSAT/NMSQT for guidance purposes, these students must take the test again when they are juniors to enter NMSC's competitions if they are spending the usual four years of study in grades 9 through 12. </p>

<p>Students who plan to leave high school a year (or more) early to enroll in college full time usually can participate in NMSC programs if they take the PSAT/NMSQT before they enroll in college full time. Such students must take the PSAT/NMSQT in either the next-to-last year or the last year they are enrolled in high school. </p>

<p>Those who take the PSAT/NMSQT in the next-to-last year of high school will be entering the competition for awards to be offered as they are finishing their final high school year. </p>

<p>Those who take the PSAT/NMSQT in their last year of high school will be entering the competition for awards to be offered as they are completing their first year of college.</p>

<p>Opie,
I think your recollection of when your kids took the PSAT is incorrect. The PSAT is given only in the fall (October) on a weekday and on a Saturday. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/reg.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/reg.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The 2007 PSAT/NMSQT test dates are Wednesday, October 17 and Saturday, October 20.</p>

<p>Yes, I took it as a sophomore and junior and all it was, was practice. It gets you used to the format of the test. I personally think the PSATs were harder than the real thing but sometimes that's a good thing.</p>

<p>There are also a few summer programs like RSI at MIT that ask for PSAT and SAT scores if you happen to have them.</p>

<p>Absolutely.</p>

<p>Yea, fall sophomore year, results that spring. sorry. </p>

<p>However, they were done junior year with everything. Results that summer.</p>

<p>In checking the references for NMS</p>

<p>"participate in the National Merit® Scholarship Program, a student must"</p>

<p>"take the PSAT/NMSQT® in the specified year of the high school program and no later than the third year in grades 9 through 12, regardless of grade classification or educational pattern;"
<a href="http://www.nationalmerit.org/nmsp.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nationalmerit.org/nmsp.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>So "no later" does not mean "must" by junior year to count. So I was wrong on the date, but right on the concept. They took their PSATs sophomore year, they counted. </p>

<p>Gawd, I was worried they were going to have to "give back" for a second..:)</p>

<p>As per post #24:</p>

<p>"Students who plan to spend four years in high school (grades 9 through 12) before entering college full time must take the PSAT/NMSQT in their third year (grade 11, junior year). They will be entering the competition that ends when awards are offered in the spring of their fourth high school year (grade 12, senior year), the same year they will leave high school and enter college.</p>

<p>Although some schools encourage their sophomores to take the PSAT/NMSQT for guidance purposes, these students must take the test again when they are juniors to enter NMSC's competitions if they are spending the usual four years of study in grades 9 through 12. </p>

<p>Given that, I would interpret the following:</p>

<p>"take the PSAT/NMSQT® in the specified year of the high school program and no later than the third year in grades 9 through 12, regardless of grade classification or educational pattern;"</p>

<p>to mean that the latest the test can be taken is the third year of high school ... i.e. if you are taking another year to graduate - perhaps you have moved or are homeschooled and are on a different grading plan - and/or you repeat junior year twice, you can't take it then (your fourth year, but still your junior year.) In other words, don't take it later than your third year, but in fact, it won't count if you take it earleir. (See above.)</p>

<p>The quotation above that you cite is poor wording on the CollegeBoard's part; however, the first quotation is very clear.</p>

<p>However,</p>

<p>"Students who plan to leave high school a year (or more) early to enroll in college full time usually can participate in NMSC programs if they take the PSAT/NMSQT before they enroll in college full time. Such students must take the PSAT/NMSQT in either the next-to-last year or the last year they are enrolled in high school."</p>

<p>PSAT/NMSQT is almost always taken in the fall of Junior year. SAT I is usually taken after that. There are kids who take PSAT and SAT earlier...usually for diagnostic purposes or to qualify for programs/scholarships that are available during HS years...but Opie's kids are the first one's I've heard of where the Sophomore PSAT was used for NMSQT (except kids who graduate from HS in 3 years.)</p>

<p>SAT doesn't qualify a student for National Merit semifinalist...it's only looked at as part of the package returned by the student/HS during senior year (or last year of HS) to determine finalist status. Finalist status isn't announced until the spring of the kid's last year in HS.</p>

<p>Opie was wrong ;(</p>

<p>Just checked with the sources. Yes, they took the Psat once, then the nmsqt. Literal dad syndrome. </p>

<p>I am beating myself with a large pasta noodle as I typw... type.</p>

<p>Opie,
The PSAT and the NMSQT are the same test. Until the early 1970's, they were separate tests. I believe my husband, who graduated high school in 1972, took a separate NMSQT. I graduated in 1973, and, for me, the PSAT was the NMSQT.</p>

<p>"The PSAT and the NMSQT are the same test"</p>

<p>Yup, hence the comment literal dad syndrome.</p>

<p>I'd type more but my fingers are still swollen from the wet noodles. Who'd think they would leave welts. ;)</p>

<p>I think taking the PSAT often helps. I am not a very good standardized test taker, so at first my score was rather low. I took it as a freshman and got a 175, took as a soph and got a 200 without any studying at all (both times). After studying a bit for the SAT I got a 222 on the PSAT. Not quite good enough for semifinalist in my state, but still pretty good. The moral of the story is, taking the test more often usually helps. It is nice taking the PSAT as a freshman/sophmore because there is no pressure to do well and gives you experience with the test, which by itself is extremely helpful.</p>

<p>It's a good idea, yeah. In my school district (I live in CT), everyone was required to take the PSATs both sophomore and junior years. And studies have shown that, without studying, your scores improve each time you take the PSAT, and that also helps with the SAT. I went from a... 210? sophomore year to a 234 junior year without studying at all, and then I got a 2300 on my SATs my first time, without any prep besides the Official SAT Study Guide. And that's just with taking standardized tests over and over again. If you studied...</p>

<p>Besides, like someone said before me, if your sophomore scores are good, you get mail from colleges, which is always flattering (and useful -- early start). Not to mention you have a better chance at the NMS (which the SAT is part of... you have to take it in order to become a semi-finalist, and then your grades/application take you to finalist status, and then finally to scholar status if you get past that).</p>

<p>
[quote]
you get mail from colleges, which is always flattering (and useful -- early start).

[/quote]
</p>

<p>It's not flattering. Don't check the box. My D made the mistake of checking it in sophomore and then did not check in junior year. I still get tons of stuff from University of Evansville(sp?).</p>

<p>Don't even get me started on the U of Evansville. My son is receiving about 3-5 pieces of mail from them a week. Dovetails nicely with the mailings my daughter, who is going into her sophomore year of college, still receives from them sometimes. :)</p>

<p>Opie, my parental brain is also full of wet noodles, so don't feel bad. :)</p>

<p>For all we know, U of Evansville could be a well respected school in Indiana, just trying to make a more national splash by advertising itself to death. Anyone from Indiana know what the school is REALLY like?</p>

<p>"Opie, my parental brain is also full of wet noodles, so don't feel bad"</p>

<p>I was reminded by my S, that was over 6 years ago.... Dad's-hiemers...</p>