Sophomores face yet another year of not taking the PSAT

Taking the SAT is a significant part of the college admissions process. But, with no prior experience taking the PSAT in school, sophomore Meera Naik said she worries about her preparedness for the college-readiness exam.

“Going into junior year and taking the SAT is a lot of stress and pressure because it is a big part of applying and getting accepted into colleges,” Naik said. “Taking the PSAT gives students assurance of what score they will most likely get.”

On the other hand, sophomore Justin Wickham said he does not see the usefulness or necessity of the exam.

“To be honest, I don’t really care about taking a PSAT,” Wickham said. “It could put the juniors at a slight advantage because they’ve had the option of taking multiple PSATs. However, it’s not that big of an advantage.”

Naik said students who take the PSAT can feel more comfortable and prepared going into the SAT.

“Taking the PSAT can improve your score on the actual SAT because […] you are able to review the topics that you think you did poorly on which will help you improve your actual score,” Naik said. “I would definitely feel better going into junior year if I had taken it last year or this year.”