Question: Most of my friends say that they will take the PSAT both this year and next. Does this make sense? - High School Sophomore
Answer: The idea behind taking the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) was originally to give high-school juniors an idea of how well they would do on the SAT as well as to give them scholarship opportunities. However, many pre-juniors have recently started taking the PSAT to gain more test experience for the SAT.
Now there is another reason to take the PSAT as a sophomore, or even earlier. Beginning this fall, the PSAT test results will include individualized information about the specific academic skills students need to improve. Recommendations will also be made on the steps students need to take to refine these skills. By taking the PSAT as a sophomore, you and your friends will have more time to work on the skills necessary for college. This skill improvement should lead to better SAT scores.