Ms. Farlow said that the PSAT is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program."There's 9,600 scholarships out there and the only way to get on the list is to take the PSAT as a junior," she said. "You don't have to know where you're going to college yet to get scholarships."
The state pays for students to take the PSAT once at the time concurrent to when the student is enrolled in Geometry. "I've got a lot of sophomores taking the PSAT when in fact it might be better for them to take it as a junior. Someone should definitely talk to the state about that," Farlow said.
There are 350 students currently signed up to take the test. "We want to let juniors know - this is an important test," Farlow explained. "The test cannot hurt you. You can choose to share or not share your info, and it's important that you do [choose]. Colleges love that information; they don't get your scores, but it lets them know you're interested."
For those wanting to know how to prepare for the PSAT or SAT, Ms. Farlow recommends several free and indispensable resources. Everyone who signs up for the test gets a guide which also includes a practice test inside that one can prepare with. Everyone who takes the test gets access to My College QuickStart, an online college and career planning tool that is customized by information personalized by the student, including study habits, test-taking strengths, etc. It also helps find careers possibilities and ideal colleges for each individual.
If a student runs into a question, either using the guide or studying alternatively, many teachers are more than willing to help. Also, for the SAT, Mr. Assael offers an SAT prep class. Lastly, these three websites, are guidance counselor recommended for success on the tests.
cfnc.org
collegeboard.org (where one can sign up for the SAT and is a great resource for more info)
nationalmerit.org
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