To the Class of 2018 and Beyond

Paying for College National Merit Aid
1

I want to encourage you to make it a priority to study for the PSAT the summer before your Junior year. It is worth it. Not only will it greatly increase your chance of making NMSF but it will help your SAT scores as well. Here is my D17’s story. She chose to basically not study the summer before her Junior PSAT. She had a 170 on the (old format) PSAT her Sophomore year. Since her older sister was a NMF we didn’t want to pressure her to equal that so we didn’t nag. She did well on her Junior (new format) PSAT getting a 210, 1370 (730/640), which is Commended for class of 2017. But now we know she could have done better.

She is in Calculus this year and really would have benefitted from reviewing her old math. This is evidenced by her SAT scores. After getting her PSAT scores she started reviewing, on her own, her old math. On the March (new format) SAT she scored 1420 (730,690) and on the April in school SAT 1520 (780,740). Yes, she increased her math score by 100 points JUST by studying her old math! She was also able to make use of the new KHAN PSAT study guide. Wish we had that a year earlier. She probably only spent 15 hours of studying between the PSAT and the March SAT and none after that. She was too busy with her academic load to do any more. Our public school does not have any PSAT prep and doesn’t promote it at all. Thankfully they do give it to all Freshmen and Sophomores. This was the first year that all Juniors took it.

Be encouraged, it may not take that many hours if you focus on the specific areas you need to improve. An expensive tutor is not necessary - if you can focus. Not saying it won’t help but you can certainly improve if you work, especially with the tools KHAN Academy has made available.

2

It is wonderful of you to reach out to the next classes this way! I will join in with some similar advice.

Some kids are very self-motivated and will put in the effort on their own to prepare for the PSAT and other tests. But other kids need an outside push. Both of my kids needed that extra push. S1 had to be coaxed into studying the prep books and taking practice tests. S2 was unwilling to study, but was willing to do practice tests after being bribed. My husband and I worked as a team on weekends before the standardized tests giving them practice tests. Compared to their initial practice tests, their actual end results were astonishing. Parents, if your kids aren’t making the effort on their own, you need to step in and do this. I think this is especially important for kids who typically score very high on school achievement tests without prep. Don’t just assume they don’t need any prep for PSAT, SAT and ACT. These are just the kids for whom three or four practice tests can make a huge difference. Sometimes those top scores are needed to get a scholarship, sometimes admission to a college you can afford, sometimes admission to the crowded major they want, and sometimes priority registration and housing. Along with their other achievements, it can make a big difference in the quality of their college experience, whether they get the classes they need with the better professors, and whether they can graduate on time. It is worth the effort.