What are the benefits of taking the PSAT? Someone told me it could possibly qualify you for a scholar ship but I have no idea if this is true. To be honest, by school isn’t helpful in informing me and other students about these things. No matter how much you go to the office and ask questions the mean people there don’t help. Also, what is the difference between SAT and ACT ? I want to attend a UC or CSU but I don’t know if I even have to take these. When should I take them? I am currently a junior, also should I take them multiple times? Also, I have no clue if when to apply for college. There are some (although very few) people who apply to college junior year. But I ask my self ‘how!?’ If we still have a full year ahead of us how are colleges going to see our senior year grades ? When would someone recommends applying to college?
- What is the PSAT test? Cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) — often shortened to PSAT — is a standardized test targeting 10th and 11th graders across the U.S. Every year approximately 3.5 million students take the PSAT test at various high schools. But why take it at all?
As it stands, the PSAT is heavily connected to the SAT. One of the test’s primary purposes is to act as a precursor to the SAT — essentially, as an SAT practice test. Thus, the PSAT and SAT heavily mirror each other in regard to content, structure, and even scoring.
But they’re not identical. Here are some of the major differences between the PSAT and SAT:
The SAT contains an optional Essay section, whereas the PSAT does not.
The PSAT is slightly easier than the SAT.
There are fewer questions on the PSAT than there are on the SAT.
Now let’s jump back to the “NMSQT” part of the PSAT’s name. In addition to acting as a preparatory test for the SAT, the PSAT serves as a qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program. In other words, PSAT scores determine students’ eligibility for National Merit scholarships. Each year the top 1 percent of 11th-grade PSAT takers become Semifinalists. Of these students, 7,500 go on to win scholarship money.
If you are applying to the UC’s, then you need to take the SAT with essay or ACT with writing for the UC’s.
For the CSU’s, you need to take the SAT with or without essay or ACT with or without writing.
You should prepare to take either one during your Junior of HS and it would be best to complete all testing by beginning of Senior year of HS so you have scores prior to applying. Most students take these tests more than once so they can increase their scores.
ACT:
Length: 3 hours, 35 minutes (including the optional Writing Test, not including breaks) or 3 hours, 50 minutes (including the optional Essay, not including breaks)
Structure:
4 sections*
English
Math
Reading
Science
*Plus an Optional Writing Test
Scoring: ACT
You will receive a composite score on a 1–36 scale. This score is an average of your scores on the 4 multiple-choice test sections (each section is scored on 1–36 scale).
The optional Writing Test is not included in the composite score. You will receive 5 scores for the Writing Test: one overall score on a 2–12 scale and 4 domain scores, also 2–12, that are based on an analytic rubric.
Wrong Answer Penalty:
No penalty for wrong answers.
You can decide which score is sent to colleges. Note: all scores from your selected test date are sent.
SAT:
Length: 3 hours, 50 minutes (including the optional Essay, not including breaks)
Structure:
4 sections*
Reading
Writing and Language
Math without a Calculator
Math with a Calculator
*Plus an Optional Essay
Scoring SAT:
You will receive an overall score out of 1600. This score is calculated by adding your score on the Math section with your score on the Evidence-Based Reading & Writing section (each section is scored on a 200–800 scale).
The optional Essay is not included in the overall score. You will receive 3 scores for the essay: Reading, Analysis, and Writing, which are all on 2–8 scale
Wrong Answer Penalty:
No penalty for wrong answers.
You can decide which score is sent to colleges. Note: all scores from your selected test date are sent.
Take the PSAT.
Generally, they are both fine for CA publics - there’s no strong preference for one or the other. You should probably take one Jr year to give you flexibility to retake if you don;t like you score, Whether you take it again depends on your score and objectives.
You apply during the window set by the school. It varies a lot… For CA public schools, Oct/Nov of your Sr year. Your SAT or ACT gets sent directly to the (you can choose ALL UCs and ALL CSUs) you just self report your grades. After you graduate, your HS sends your transcript directly to the school you select (you tell them which one).
What is your GPA and which of the 9 UCs or 23 CSUs interest you most?
You’ll do your UC and CSU applications about a year from now. UC is due end of November of your senior year. I believe CSU is the same although I’m not totally sure on that.
You’ll want to take the SAT or ACT for the first time sometime soon, maybe in January or March coming up, and then see how your score compares to what you need to get into the UCs or CSUs you’d like to attend and then decide whether to retake or not. Many kids take each of them once and then take whichever they did better on the first time around a 2nd time after studying a little more.
Continuation of your questions:
Some schools offer rolling admission and their applications open usually in August so even though you have not started Senior year yet, you can apply without Senior grades.
The CSU’s and UC’s do not ask for Senior grades until you are admitted. You apply with your 9-11th grades on the application but you also list your Senior courses.
Both the UC’s and CSU’s also use only 10-11th grades in their GPA calculation but they will look at your 9th grades to make sure you pass the a-g course requirements needed to apply and they will look at the Senior courses you are taking.
To reiterate the information: You should be looking at taking the PSAT this Fall Junior year. There are plenty of study guides on-line to help you prepare.
After the PSAT, you should look into taking some SAT and/or ACT practice tests, again examples can be found on-line and then try to sign up for one of these tests Mid-year Junior year. If you are unhappy with your scores, then you have several more test dates through Fall of Senior year to help your raise those scores.
You can start applying for the CSU’s October 1 of your Senior year with a deadline of November 30th.
The UC application opens up in August prior to Senior year and you can start filling out the application and working on your personal insight essays. You cannot submit the UC application until November 1 of Senior year with a deadline of November 30th.
I suggest you visit your Guidance Counselor and have them help you through the process since that is what they get paid to do. If you have any more questions, CC has plenty of information and posters are always willing to help.
Best of luck.
Some helpful websites: http://www.act.org
Thank both of you guys so much, you guys are like good versions of my unhelpful guidelines counselor. I have more questions. Do colleges prefer students who take honors and ap classses? People like me take on the challenges these courses pose and do well in them. But I was curious, if I got a B in ap European history last year, does this count as an ‘a’? I heard someone say this but I wasn’t sure if they were speaking nonsense.
If you are targeting the UC’s and CSU’s, yes the colleges like to see good HS course rigor which means taking UC approved Honors and AP classes if available but most colleges are looking for students to challenge themselves.
The UC’s and CSU’s give extra Honors points in their GPA calculation for UC approved Honors, AP/IB or dual enrollment courses. You submit the actual grade your receive in the AP course and in the GPA calculation, you get an extra honors point for each semester of that AP class. If you got a B, you would get 1 extra honors point. Point wise it makes it an A for the calculation but in reality the grade is still a B.
The CSU’s and UC’s have a capped weighted GPA which gives you up to 8 extra Honors points (8 semesters max) for these courses taken 10-11th grades. I have linked the UC GPA calculator. UC’s will see your uW UC GPA, Capped weighted UC GPA and Fully weighted UC GPA (unlimited of extra honors points for these courses 10-11th grades).
UC Capped weighted=CSU capped weighted. Most of the data posted on the college websites refers to the capped weighted UC/CSU GPA.
How do colleges know that I do extra curriculars and do stuff outside of school? I know many seniors who lie and say they have but in reality they haven’t. Also, for a college application, do I apply online or paper? Or both?
You’ll apply online. There is a single application for all of the UCs (separate fee for each, though). Then another application for CSUs. And then if you apply to any private colleges, most of them are on something called the Common App.
CSU application website - https://www2.calstate.edu/apply
UC application website - https://admissions.universityofcalifornia.edu/applicant/login.htm
Common App website - https://www.commonapp.org
For the UC’s, EC’s are reported on the application using an honor system but UC’s do audit a small percentage of applicants. If they are audited, they would need to get some type of record or have a person of authority sign a letter that the EC’s have been done.
The CSU’s do not consider EC’s in their application review only GPA and Test scores. Cal Poly SLO is the exception which does ask for hours/week but you do not list the EC’s like in the UC application.
You apply on-line for both the UC’s and CSU’s. You only send your official SAT/ACT test scores which come directly from testing agency. Transcripts and AP test score reports are not needed until you are accepted and enrolled at your choice school.
Do colleges know the hardships that students go through in ap classes? Because my AP envionrmental science teacher says college sometimes don’t believe ap courses are the same rigor. Then the student sends the colleges their work from the course and they see. So I guess what I’m trying to say is: do colleges know the pain of taking ap classes like let’s say three of them like me ?
Colleges know that AP classes are considered challenging but the competitive UC’s and CSU’s expect students to perform well in all classes regardless. Not sure what you mean hardships. Yes, AP classes are tough but you have the option of taking them or not taking them. You should take the AP classes you think you will do well in period. If you are taking them to keep up with the other students or too look good for colleges then it defeats the purpose of these classes. Basically Colleges want to see a rigorous HS schedule with good grades. How you achieve this is up to you.
Okay thank you.