On October 14, most students at AHS were required to take the PSAT.  The seniors were the only class excused from taking it. The PSAT is a practice or preliminary version of the SAT and it takes around two and a half hours to complete.

Some students think that the PSAT is an important test in their academic career, while others don’t consider it to be very important.

“I think it’s important because it prepares you for the SAT,” sophomore Nicole Solis said. “It gives you experience before taking it.”

The test mainly covers two subjects: English, which includes grammar and reading comprehension, and Mathematics.  

In order to help students prepare for the test, the school handed out booklets in advance. The booklets reviewed material that would be on the test.

“I was kind of nervous for the test,” Solis said, “To prepare for it, I skimmed [through] the booklet the school gave me.”

Preparation is especially important for juniors because the PSAT can benefit them greatly this year.

The test is more significant for them because their test scores are entered into the competition for the National Merit Scholarship which can award high scoring students scholarship funds.

The PSAT benefits juniors with funds, but a downside to being a junior is that you have to pay for your test results. Because of this, some students are not interested in getting their scores back.

“I don’t think it’s worth paying for because I am a junior and haven’t taken classes that explain the criteria they ask you on the test,” junior Ivan Giron said. “I already know I wouldn’t get a good score, so it’s not worth paying for.”

On the other hand, some students think that their scores are worth the price.  

“I am paying for my test scores because I get more than just my PSAT results,” Junior Shadi Hamadeh said. “I get to see where I’m at academically, what my strengths and weaknesses are, how I compare to other students and most importantly, what I can work on for the actual SAT.”

While juniors have to pay, underclassmen are happy about free access to their test scores.

“Paying to get a test score that doesn’t matter doesn’t make sense,” sophomore Angela Kim said. “I am happy that I can use my test scores to help me improve without having to pay.”

The SAT is important because it is the main college admissions test and is another way to earn college scholarship funds.

The PSAT is helpful in preparing you for the scholarship competitions and the SAT because it allows you to improve those aspects before the next test.  

Therefore, it is important to take the test seriously no matter what grade you’re in. Taking it seriously will help prepare you for when it really counts.

Overall, the PSAT can be difficult, but it can help students prepare for tests to come by enabling the students to see their scores and improve them.

“The PSAT is important because it allows you to know where you are at academically,” Hamadeh said.