PSAT Updates
‘Tis the Season of the PSAT, and AGS has made some changes…. all in the name of student success.
Historically, AGS has administered the PSAT/NMSQT to all 9th-11th graders in October, with results coming back to families in December. Beginning with the 2019-20 school year, only AGS 11th graders will take the PSAT/NMSQT on Wednesday, October 16; 9th and 10th graders will take the PSAT 10 in the early spring (date to be determined and announced before Winter Break). If you have any questions or concerns about either the PSAT/NMSQT or the PSAT 10, please feel free to reach out to Gaela Peters, School Counselor and Learning Specialist, (404) 604-2835. Click the article title to read more.
Why this change, you ask?
It’s all about the National Merit Scholarship (Qualifying Test).
That’s the ‘NMSQT’ that tags along with the PSAT moniker. The National Merit Scholarship is awarded only to students who will be graduating from high school no later than 2021. The PSAT/NMSQT is the instrument used to qualify for this scholarship and, as such, is given to qualifying students in the fall of their Junior Year.
But, isn’t the PSAT/NMSQT a more rigorous test, more in line with the SAT?
If you’re a Junior, yes; it is a great representation of the rigor of the SAT. However, if you’re a 9th or 10th grader, the content on the PSAT/NMSQT is out of alignment with what you have learned and are learning (especially less than two months into the school year). Rest assured, the PSAT 10 is a rigorous, College Board-constructed PSAT for students who are beginning those first steps into college admission testing – with several months more of mathematics and English instruction under their belt.
The content areas and timing of the PSAT/NMSQT and the PSAT 10 are exactly the same (Reading, Writing, and Mathematics; 2¾ hours).
The PSAT 10 will include less trigonometry, less advanced geometry and algebra, and more grade-appropriate and straightforward reading passages and grammar usage.
Providing students with a grade-level appropriate evaluation of their progress ensures that any preparations they make for the SAT are targeted to their real-time academic development.
The College Board provides access to preparation materials on its website.
If you have any questions or concerns about either the PSAT/NMSQT or the PSAT 10, please feel free to reach out to Gaela Peters, School Counselor and Learning Specialist, (404) 604-2835.