McIntosh students will take the PSAT on Wednesday, October 16. While the test is mandatory and free for sophomores, freshmen and juniors can sign up for $20 during all lunches in the lobby from September 26-27 and September 30-October 2.

The PSAT measures ritical reading skills, math problem-solving skills and writing skills, making it a preliminary test for the SAT. Unlike the SAT, the PSAT is administered in two hours and 10 minutes instead of five hours.

The test has two 25-minute ritical reading sections, two 25-minute math sections and one 30-minute writing skills section. No essay is administered on the PSAT. Each subject is scored on a scale of 20 to 80. To get an estimated SAT score, multiply each section’s score by 100.

The PSAT can help students prepare for the SAT by allowing them to recieve feedback on their strengths and weaknesses, permitting them to focus on areas with which they struggle before taking the SAT.

Juniors who take the PSAT will have their scores considered for the National Merit Scholarship Competition or the National Achievement Scholarship Program, which award the top national scores from students. Additionally, PSAT scores are used in AP class consideration.

To begin preparing, students should pick up the Official Student Guide to the PSAT. The guide contains additional test-taking tips, information on the National Merit Scholarship Competition and a full-length practice test.