PSAT/NMSQT

1. PSAT/NMSQT What Should I Know?

2. When is the PSAT Offered? • Date: Saturday, October 19, 2013 • Time: 8:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. • Place: Glastonbury High School • Cost: $25.00 cash only

3. Registration • Register in the School Counseling Office before, during or after school from: WHEN? Wednesday September 18th – Friday Septmeber 27th

4. What is the PSAT/NMSQT • Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test • Standardized Test • Measures Critical Reading, Math and Writing Skills • Five Sections • Two 25 minute Critical Reading Sections • Two 25 minute Math Sections • One 30 minute Writing Skills Section • Entire Test with Directions/Breaks under 3 hours!

5. What is the PSAT/NMSQT Cont. • You will have 2 hours and 10 minutes of actual testing time • You will NOT be allowed to bring anything into the testing room except: • No. 2 soft-lead pencils • A calculator • Photo ID

6. What Types of Questions are on the Test? • Critical Reading • Sentence completion and passage-based reading • All questions are multiple choice • Math • Multiple choice questions and grid-ins • Writing • Identifying sentence errors and improving sentences and paragraphs • All questions are multiple choice

7. Sample Questions • Once you register, you will be given a practice booklet that will contain all of the types of questions that you will encounter • Visit Collegeboard.org for practice questions

8. How is the PSAT Scored? • Multiple Choice Questions • 1 point for each correct answer • ¼ point deducted for each incorrect • Grid-In Questions (Math Only) • 1 point for each correct answer • 0 points for each incorrect answer • 0 points for omitted questions

9. Hints on Scoring • You can earn an above-average score by answering only ½ of all the questions correctly • Expect easy questions at the beginning of each group (except grid in math questions and passage-based questions) • Do not feel you have to answer every question • Educated Guessing • Guessing when you know at least one answer choice is wrong • Random Guessing • Guessing when you do not have any idea about the question

10. Reasons for Taking the PSAT • Gives you practice for the SAT reasoning test • Helps you plan for college • Lets you compare your ability to do college work with other college-bound students • Score Report Plus gives you personalized feedback • 1st step in entering the scholarship programs conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) JUNIORS ONLY

11. When Will I Receive My Scores? • You will receive your scores before December Vacation • Your answer booklet and score report will be mailed home • Your scores are NOT reported to specific colleges/universities • Your scores are placed in your cumulative file but do NOT appear on your transcript

12. Preparing for the Test • Long Term • Take a solid selection of college prep courses • Enroll in the most challenging courses that you can handle • Read • Short Term • Familiarize yourself with the test format and directions • Make sure you understand the difference between Educated Guessing and Random Guessing

13. Preparing for the Test Cont. • Do not cram • The test does not assess your abilities to recall or recite facts and concepts • The test measures reasoning abilities that have developed over time • Its only a test • You cannot pass or fail • Colleges look at the whole package, not just your test scores

14. Things to Remember • Read the directions carefully • Read all possible answer choices before making your decision • Do scratch work in the test booklet • Work steadily • Do Not waste time on hard questions • Bring a calculator

15. Should you take the PSAT as a Sophomore? • Reasons to take it this year: • To gain standardized experience in a standardized testing environment • To get ideas of your strengths and weaknesses in critical reading, math and writing areas • To compare your performance to other sophomores who are planning on going to college • Reasons to wait until Junior year: • Math preparation • Comfort level

16. Prepare for the College Fair • Date: October 21, 2013 • Time: 6:30-8:30pm • Please see last 4 slides for Sample Interview Questions Pick 2 and be prepared to ask these questions of college representatives.

17. Final Reminder • Register • Review packet • Get a good night sleep • No cell phones • Bring IDs with you on the test day • Bring a calculator and #2 pencils

18. If you have any questions please see your School Counselor!

19. Questions To Ask College Representatives • What are the five strongest majors at your institution? • When must I choose a major? • What types of internship/co-op experiences are available? • What type of high school background are you looking for in applicants? • Are there programs for study abroad? • What types of extra-curricular activities are there on campus? • Do you accept Advanced Placement test credit?

20. Questions To Ask College Representatives • How can I arrange a campus visit? Are there any special visitation days on your campus coming up? • What are the application deadlines for admission and financial aid? • What percentage of a typical freshman class will actually graduate from your college? • How many of last year’s freshman returned for their sophomore year? • What percentage of the freshman class earned better than a 2.0 GPA last year? • What is the average high school GPA of the entering freshman class, and what is their average GPA after freshman year?

21. Questions To Ask College Representatives • How does you institution place students in their freshman classes? • How do you assign faculty advisors to students, especially those who are undecided about their majors? • What additional academic services do your offer to students (tutoring, career counseling, study skills workshops)? • How effective is your institution’s honor code? What is the penalty for cheating? • What is the average age of your student body? • How many students reside on campus? What percentage of the total student body is residential/commuter? • Is yours a “suitcase college,” where students go home on the weekends? • How are roommates selected?