On the second Wednesday of every October, students across the nation are administered the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT), more commonly known as the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT). This standardized test is strategically given to students in the fall as a preparation tool for the SAT in the spring. While sophomores and juniors take the official PSAT from CollegeBoard, freshmen take a practice PSAT (PPSAT) from Revolution Prep.

Some students believe that these tests are pointless. In some respect, they are correct. In both freshman and sophomore years, the test that students take do not count for anything on the students’ academic records or transcripts. In fact, it is administered for the sole reason of preparation for the official PSAT. But according to Dennis Reynolds, head of Counseling at WJ, it is still important that students take the tests seriously.

“Philosophically speaking, I know that for anybody that is interested in four year college as an option, a standardized test is going to play a role in that, no matter what,” he said. “Students that take [the] practice [PSAT] in ninth grade, take it in tenth grade, take it in eleventh grade, generally score higher on whichever test they choose to take, whether it’s the SAT or ACT, come springtime of their junior year.”

Material wise, the content in the PPSAT and PSAT is similar. However, the PPSAT tends to roll by faster, due to less information about the student needed in the first section. Taking the tests during freshman and sophomore years may also yield additional benefits.

“When [students] generally score better as eleventh graders [than in previous years], they may be eligible for national merit [awards], or they have a score that gives them a little more confidence and certainty about the SAT or ACT,” said Reynolds.

During junior year, the PSAT becomes a more serious matter. Students who score in the top percentiles may be eligible to receive a National Merit Scholarship. African-American or Hispanic students may also receive recognition from one of the national recognition programs, which highlight high-achieving minority students. According to Reynolds, the PSAT will not be considered by colleges during the application process. Instead, the junior year PSAT provides counselors with valuable information about a student’s possible academic future. How a student scores on the PSAT helps counselors anticipate the levels of colleges that the student may be on the track toward. Additionally, scores reveal students that performed well on the PSAT but are not currently enrolled in honors or AP courses.

While Reynolds believes that students at WJ are well prepared for the PSAT, he does lend some advice for success. Apart from the many prep classes and books on the market, Reynolds also recognizes the importance of class material.

“[The] first thing that [students] can do, because so much of [the PSAT] is content based, to some degree, is to do as well as they can in the classes that they’re taking, in particular their math classes and their English classes,” he said, adding that history, science and other elective courses are helpful as well. “Generally doing well in school, doing well in your classes, usually leads to pretty decent scores on the PSAT.”

And while the PSAT can be an important indicator of a student’s future, Reynolds tells students to keep it all in perspective.

“It’s one measure of a student’s academic ability. Even as it relates to test scores and college admissions, it’s still only one piece,” he said.