PSAT results returned to students

For sophomore Elliot Schwartz, he said the morning of Dec. 11 was like any other day, despite what he cited as the importance of the sheet of paper he was about to receive.

Before school in room C350 Dec. 11, 13 and 18, sophomores and juniors who took the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) exam Oct. 17 were returned their composite scores from the test after a brief presentation from counselors on how to interpret the data and use it for college searches.

The PSAT exam also qualifies test-takers for the National Merit Scholarship competition, a prize given to students who score within the top 1 percent of students in the country.

Since sophomores cannot qualify for the PSAT scholarship opportunity, before Schwartz received his score at a PSAT informational meeting on the morning of Dec. 11, he said he did not feel pressured to get a high score and his emotions were completely under control.

“I definitely feel really calm at the moment, but at the same time it would be really nice to score high to know what level I’m at for standardized tests,” Schwartz said.
The composite score given projects a student’s approximate score on the SAT exams taken junior and senior year.
According to counselor Andy Wilkes, the PSAT is an important exam for students to take, not just for standardized tests, but also to aid the student in making decisions after high school.
“Colleges really use the PSAT as a big talent search. They use it as a measure of academic standards and a way to choose students who they believe could be a good fit,” Wilkes said.
Junior Sophie Macklem-Johnson agrees with Wilkes and said the PSAT will not only help her as she searches for the right college, but also as an indicator for the actual SAT exam.
“It really gives me a great goal for taking the SAT in the future and shows where I need to have objectives for areas of improvement,” Macklem-Johnson said.
After getting his score, Schwartz said he felt pleasantly surprised with his performance on the test.
“I am overall really happy with how my score ended and I feel that this will really help me in the near future when I’m starting to get a feel for places for after high school, as well as my standardized test-taking skills in general,” Schwartz said.
Overall, Wilkes said that scores this year for Park students have been very high and said he expects several students to compete for one of the National Merit Scholarships.
“For Park students it was truly amazing. This past year, the class of 2013 had three semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship, however, I wouldn’t be surprised if the class of 2014 doubles, or even triples that amount,” Wilkes said.
Upon hearing this news, Schwartz said he gained even more motivation for retaking the PSAT next year.
“Especially since my score this year doesn’t qualify for the scholarship since I’m a sophomore, I’m really excited for next year’s PSATs, to see if I can compete for one of the scholarships,” Schwartz said.