The PSAT: A Helpful Q & A
A Conversation With a Parent
Parent: My child is taking the PSAT. How important is this test, really?
BTS: More important than many students realize, but not necessarily because of the reasons you may think.
For most students, the biggest value of the PSAT is that it provides a real standardized-testing experience and a useful benchmark. It shows where a student is strong, where there are gaps, and what may need attention before the SAT becomes more important.
Parent: But if my child is only a sophomore, does the PSAT really matter yet?
BTS: Absolutely. In some ways, sophomore year is the perfect time to take it.
There is still plenty of time to improve. A sophomore PSAT can uncover weaknesses in algebra, vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, or timing before those issues become urgent.
It is much better to discover those things in tenth grade than right before college applications.
Parent: So should my sophomore study for it?
BTS: Yes, but not excessively.
Students should understand the format, practice in Bluebook, and review some key concepts. But for sophomores, we still want the test to function as an honest benchmark.
The goal is not to manufacture the highest possible score. It is to find out where the student really stands.
Parent: Okay, but everybody keeps talking about National Merit. Shouldn’t we be worried about that?
BTS: This is where a little NMSQT Mania tends to set in.
National Merit recognition is wonderful, but it is extremely competitive, and for most sophomores it is not even relevant yet. For students on a traditional four-year high school path, junior-year PSAT/NMSQT results are the ones used for National Merit consideration.
So for sophomores, the focus should be practice, growth, and information.
Parent: What about juniors? Should they be aiming for National Merit?
BTS: If a junior is already a very strong test taker and realistically in range, certainly.
National Merit awards or commendation can look great on an application and can open the doors for not only the NM scholarship, but also additional scholarships and grants from colleges.
But National Merit should be viewed as an exceptional achievement, not the definition of a successful PSAT. A student can miss National Merit and still earn an excellent SAT or ACT score, receive scholarships, and attend a highly selective college.
One score should not become the whole story.
Parent: So what should we do when the scores come back?
BTS: Don’t just look at the total score.
Look at what the student missed. Was the issue vocabulary? Algebra? Geometry? Grammar? Timing? Careless mistakes?
A PSAT score by itself does very little. A reviewed PSAT can become a roadmap for improvement.
The better question is not, “Is this a good score?”
It is, “What does this tell us to work on next?”
Parent: Does the PSAT score go to colleges?
BTS: No, which is one of the best things about it.
Students get the experience of taking a serious standardized test without having to worry about colleges judging the result. That makes the PSAT a relatively low-risk way to practice.
Parent: So what’s your biggest advice to parents about the PSAT?
BTS: Don’t waste it.
Don’t dismiss it as “just practice,” but don’t turn it into a crisis either.
For sophomores, it is a valuable baseline. For juniors, it is an important SAT benchmark and, for a small group of very high scorers, a National Merit opportunity.
For everyone else, the most useful question is simple:
Where are we now, and what should we work on next?
