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By Addison Manning
The PSATs were held on October 22 at PAHS. Each year, the guidance department offers juniors the opportunity to take the preliminary SAT test for free. Eric Sampson, guidance counselor, explained the importance of the PSATs, stating, “We try to let students take the PSATs in the fall of their junior year so they could take the SATs in the Spring.”
The College Board website describes the PSATs as being, “more than good practice for the SAT,” as it can assist in tracking progress, establish goals for future SAT scores, and can enter students into the National Merit Scholarship Program. Additionally, there are over $300 million dollars available in scholarships given out to students who score well on the PSATs.
In order to study for the PSATs, students have access to the College Board website to find practice questions. These practice questions are similar to the exact questions that will be asked on both the PSAT and the SAT. Sampson also reported that students who take the PSAT will be given a code to Bluebook, the extension on computers that allows students to take the standardized test. This code will give students practice questions, tests, and different tutorials for each area of study. When asked about advice for students planning on taking the PSATs, Sampson replied, “Make sure you answer every question, don’t spend too much time on a certain one.”
Photo Credits of Addison Manning
Zachary Metzgar, Senior, checks out the SAT section of the College Board website. Students use this website to register for the SATs, check scores, and find practice questions.
Senior Ella Mamana, who took the PSATs last year, commented on the benefits of taking the test as a Junior. “They gave me a good baseline score that showed approximately how I would score on the real SAT,” Mamana said. She added, “They were very helpful as preparation for the SATs because of how similar the question styles are, and I ended up increasing my score by 100 points.”
Students are not penalized for answering a question incorrectly, as scores are solely based on the number of questions answered correctly. Senior Peyton Dewalt, who previously was an SAT tutor, said, “My biggest piece of advice is to target your weaknesses.” Dewalt discussed focusing on areas that students may struggle with more than areas students feel confident with. “If you are decent at English but bad at math, don’t spend your time practicing English. Study the math instead,” Dewalt said.
Sampson also encourages students to register early, as SAT testing centers around Pen Argyl typically fill up very quickly. The most common testing center around this area is Easton High School.
Additional advice was given by Atanas Dachev, senior, who took both the PSAT and the SAT. Dachev stated, “I would focus your preparation on familiarizing yourself with Desmos.” Desmos is the built in calculator for the SAT, and according to Dachev, “allows you to completely bypass about a dozen questions on the math section and helps with knowing what to plug in and applications.”
Upcoming dates for the SATs in 2025 are November 8 and December 6. In 2026, available dates are March 14, May 2, and June 6. For any students planning on taking the SAT, registration information can be found at https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat or in the guidance office.
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