<p>I'm taking the PSAT test in 3 weeks, I believe that I should just skip it since I didn't have time to study and don't want to get a bad score on it. Or should I just take it and later on study for a year up till I'm a junior?</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter what score you get, it doesn’t count for anything til Junior year. So you should just take it as a practice test so you know how much you need to work if you want to get National Merit. </p>
<p>A good score to get would probably be maybe 10-20 points below National Merit??? Because then you know you don’t have to work a ridiculous amount before next year.</p>
<p>The PSAT doesn’t really matter until you’re a junior when it allows you to qualify for National Merit. Taking it as a sophomore is actually a really good idea, since you can get used to it for taking it as a junior. Don’t worry about prepping or the score, though, because you haven’t learned a lot of the math and it’s still really early in your high school career. Good luck!</p>
<p>As someone who took it as a sophomore and qualified for NMSF this past year (current senior), I can definitely say that it helped a lot. It lets you get a feel for the test, and since your scores don’t matter, you have plenty of time to study up for when it counts. Don’t just blow it off though, because your score can be a good indicator of how much you have to study. Find your state’s NMSF semifinalist cut-off for this year and aim for no less than 25 points below it.</p>
<p>At least a 235. Anything less is mediocre at best…</p>