Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma have many talented students, and students should focus on qualifying as National Merit Scholars. If students would familiarize themselves with the PSAT testing format, we would have students who could qualify for these prestigious awards. Two students in each state would then be selected as US Scholars to be recognized by the United States Department of Education.

The Preliminary SAT^®/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a co-sponsored program by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation. PSAT/NMSQT stands for Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. This standardized test provides firsthand practice for the SAT Reasoning Test™. The test gives your student a chance to enter National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) scholarship programs when they become juniors. If younger students would take the assessment, they could become familiar with the format of the assessment and take the assessment with ease when they become juniors.

The PSAT/NMSQT measures:

• critical reading skills
• math problem-solving skills
• writing skills

Your student has developed these skills over many years, both in and out of school.

The most common reasons for taking the PSAT/NMSQT are:

• to receive feedback on your student’s strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study. Your student can then focus his/her preparation on those areas that could most benefit from additional study or practice.
• to see how your student’s performance on an admissions test might compare with that of others applying to college.
• to enter the competition for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (grade 11).
• to help prepare for the SAT. Your student can become familiar with the kinds of questions and the exact directions he/she will see on the SAT.
• to receive information from colleges when your student checks “yes” to Student Search Service.

The PSAT is highly relevant to your students’ future success because they focus on the skills and knowledge at the heart of education. They’ll measure:

• What your student learns in high school
• What your student requires to succeed in college

If you think the key to a high score is memorizing words and facts you’ll never use in the real world, think again. You don’t have to discover secret tricks or cram the night before. The best way to prepare for the test is to:

• Take challenging courses
• Do homework
• Prepare for tests and quizzes
• Ask and answer lots of questions

In short, students should take charge of their education and learn as much as they can.

Check with your local school about deadlines for the PSAT. Students who are in districts who do not offer the assessment can check at neighboring districts. Check with the school’s academic counselors for additional information.

Deadlines to register for the Fall 2016 PSAT will be in September.

The possible test dates could be:

• Primary Test Date: Wednesday Oct. 19
• Saturday Test Date: Oct. 15
• Alternate Test Date: Wednesday Nov. 2

Schools Districts are only allowed to choose one date for the assessment in their district.

Please email schroeder.ccr.consult@gmail.com for additional information.