<p>I'm still trying to figure out this college business. My daughter recently got her scores back from taking the Pre-SATs. She's a Sophmore right now. She scored in the 82 percentile in all areas that were tested. What does this mean? I'm guessing it means nothing until she actually takes the SAT. She told me that some colleges have emailed her in regards to her scores but I've yet to see them. Do any of you have experience with the Pre SAT? Thanks once again for your help.</p>
<p>The PSAT is the qualifying exam for National Merit Scholarships. Some colleges offer guaranteed money to National Merit Finalists, and some companies will also offer scholarships to children of employees who are NMFs. However, it only counts as a qualifier when taken as a junior.</p>
<p>The PSAT is used by many colleges to decide whom to send recruiting mail to; it is used by some colleges to decide whom to offer merit scholarships; it is used by some organizations and companies to decide whom to offer scholarships. For non-minority kids who score in the 99th percentile (varying by state), it can mean large amounts of scholarship money; for under-represented minorities (URMs) who score in lower percentiles, it can mean large amounts of money. </p>
<p>For everyone else, it is pretty much a practice test for the SAT and gives kids an early idea of what colleges might take them. It's not an especially good predictor of the SAT scores.</p>
<p>If your daughter is in the 82nd %ile, she might do much better next time around if she studied for the PSAT (depending on how seriously she took it this time). If money is an issue for your family (is there one where it's not?), studying for, and doing well on, the PSAT can be worthwhile.</p>