PSAT registration is a chance for students to prepare for the SAT. Registration began on August 26, 2019 and ends when the spots fill up. To register for the test, you can talk to your counselors or go to the CFISD website and get a link to the register form there. Next, a study booklet will be sent through your English II or III teacher and will include weblinks.

To prepare for the test, you can find practice tests on collegeboard.org where you can look at sample questions and what the questions will look like in each portion of the test. And for more practice, you can ask your teacher for a flyer with links to practice sites. 

On the day of the test, you should eat a good breakfast, show up early, bring a pencil, calculator, jacket, and a non messy snack. You also need to make sure you have your ID badge, and although it is advised not to bring your backpack, you are still able to bring it, you just won’t have access to it during the test.

“For a tenth grader it is really good practice for the SAT, and it gives them an idea of what to expect on the SAT,” Head Counselor Lori Battaglia said. “And it also gives them practice on taking a timed test because sometimes our tests here at school aren’t necessarily timed and they’re not broken down by section, so that’s good practice. For the 11th grade, it is important for all those same reasons, but the PSAT is used as a qualifier for the National Merit Program, and the National Merit Program is of course National, and it gets you into scholarship opportunities for college, so that’s a big plus.” 

For 11th graders, when taking the PSAT to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship, if you have a high enough score (this varies every year) you can move onto the next round of the National Merit Program as you compete against various students across the nation. This process usually lasts the entire year. Colleges look at that and appoint scholarship money and sometimes automatic admission to qualifying students. 

The PSAT will take place on October 16.