The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT test) will be on Thursday, October 19, 2023. All Sophomores are required to take the PSAT, and students from other grades have the option to take it as well. The PSAT opens up opportunities for students to get scholarships, and gives the student an understanding of how the SAT will be. Everyone can study for the PSAT in a different way, but here are some tips and tricks to prepare:
1. Practice Tests
Practice tests are a good resource to practice for the PSAT because it allows the person to get a feel of how the test will be like. Online practice tests also have a time frame. Some good resources for practice tests and other resources are Khan Academy and AP Classroom. According to Junior Agamya Gehlot, this feature is very helpful.
“I think doing the practice test is better,” Gehlot noted. “because you’re in that same time constraint that you’re going to be in the actual test.”
Taking the online practice tests allows test takers to figure out the strategy they will use when taking the actual test. Freshman Darshika Domma has a strategy for how she is going to go about taking the test.
“While taking the test, I’m probably going to read the question,” Domma explained. “I’ll recheck it during the problem and I’ll also recheck it after I’m done.”
2. Reviewing Previous Topics
When preparing for the PSAT, one can encounter a variety of questions. This is because the PSAT covers a wide variety of different math and literature subjects. For example, the student can find questions from topics such as Algebra, Geometry and Precalculus. According to Freshman Ayana Vij, test takers can never know what kind of questions they are going to get, so one should always review.
“Going over different problems,” Vij said. “because you never know what kind of problems you’re going to get on the PSAT.”
Websites like Youtube have good review videos. Going over notes from previous math classes are another good way of reviewing.
3. Stay Calm
The PSAT can be stressful for some people and it might be nerve racking for others. That is why the best thing that someone can do is to stay calm, which will allow clearer thoughts and better focus. According to the Imperial College London, breathing and pacing oneself are good strategies to stay calm and focused. There are many ways for a person to stay focused while taking a test. Freshman Aahana Jain uses an interesting technique to study.
“I remove all distractions around me,” she said. “And I use the Pomodoro Technique.”
The Pomodoro Technique is a technique where the person studies for 25 minutes and takes a 5 minute break after. This technique is a good tool for staying focused. Focus is very important considering that the test is about 2 hours long.
