Who should take the PSAT?
The PSAT, unlike the ACT and SAT, is completely voluntary on the part of the student. Some students take the PSAT as a practice for the SAT. Even though they have taken a number of stardardized tests up to that point, they feel more comfortable having some extra practice. The perception of the counseling staff, however, is that the majority of students who take the PSAT do so in the hope of becoming a National Merit Scholar. Students and parents need to understand that only one-half of one percent of all the students in the country, who take this test, will qualify as National Merit Scholars. If a student doesn’t typically score at or above the 97th percentile on other standardized tests (including the ITED), the chances of suddenly doing that well on the PSAT are extremely slim. There are a number of corporations in the area that might sponsor one or more National Merit Scholars and they let their employees know that a student must take the PSAT in order to qualify for one of these sc
