On October 14, students in grades 9 through 11 will be taking the PSAT at Saint Joseph High School on paper. It is important to take the PSAT seriously as it serves as a practice tool for your future upcoming SAT. Plus, you could earn some huge scholarships like the National Merit Scholarships.

In order to qualify, you need to obtain a high PSAT score among your classmates, be a US citizen, and plan to graduate high school. The PSAT score qualifies students to be semi-finalists and then move on to potentially be finalists and earn a scholarship. Scholarships begin at 2.500 dollars.

Here is some advice if you want to try to qualify for the National Merit Scholarships. First, you should study a little bit each day, a few weeks before the PSAT day, for at least 10-15 mins. Take a few practice tests to gain familiarity with the test. Second, clear and relax your mind the day before, don’t study too much as it won’t benefit you. Third, make sure you obtain plenty of sleep (at least 8 hours for several days leading up to the test) and get a good breakfast on the day of the PSAT too. Lastly, make sure you bring the required materials so you don’t stress out about forgetting an item. Bring some number 2 pencils, an approved calculator, some back-up batteries for you calculator, extra erasers, and water so you can replenish yourself.

To learn more about the National Merit Scholarship, go check out their website at nationalmerit.org. Also, for a good website to study, go check out khanacademy.org