The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) took place at Campolindo High School, starting at 8 AM on Wednesday, October 25, 2023. The students involved with the test-taking were required to bring a chromebook, a charger, a calculator, a pen or pencil, and a positive mindset, as the PSAT consisted of 98 questions total over the course of roughly two and a half hours.
Both sophomores and juniors chose to take the PSAT this fall, but 60% of the pool consisted of sophomores eager to get a head start on the inevitable SAT in the spring of their junior year.
Many sophomores took the PSAT for a variety of reasons, those being good long term benefits and the factor of parental pressure. However, it was mostly self motivation that encouraged sophomores specifically to take the PSAT. Emily Johnson, a sophomore test-taker, was an example of this: “I thought it would be good prep for the actual SAT because hearing so much about it, I wanted to make sure that I was properly prepared.”
The PSAT was divided into two sections: English and math, which were in turn separated into two modules each. A common sentiment expressed by sophomores was that the math section in the last part was the hardest, while English was fairly doable for most students.
In the middle of the test during the transition from English to math, the students got a ten minute break, which allowed them to decompress and take a minute to relieve some stress. This ten minute break allowed them to take a walk and eat some food to recuperate. Sophomore Colbie Freese said, “I love the ten minute break. It was really nice to get up and walk around and have a snack. It was really good for just relieving some of the stress that you accumulate after sitting for multiple hours.”
Many ended with extra time for the test in the sections, whereas Johnson was more crunched for time: “I think I noticed [the time] more during the final five minutes, when the red timer appear[ed]…I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
The PSAT mainly helped students get into the mindset of taking the SAT by showing just how much prep will be necessary in the future. Sean Petierre said, “It helped me learn to manage time. Also I found it’s important to prepare for the test, which I didn’t do that much.” Johnson agreed with this statement and the benefits of the PSAT, affirming, “I figured it would be better to go into it and get an idea without getting influenced by anything, just to kinda try and see what happens to get a good idea of what I need to study.”
PSAT results have been confirmed by College Board to be released on November 6th and November 16th respectively, with mixed reactions by students. As Johnson agreed, “I think I’ll take it again as we get closer for the National Merit Scholarship qualifying test version of it. But overall, I felt pretty good [about it].”
