Monday, May 12, 2008

The PSAT/NMSQT: notes for juniors

Refer to the description of the PSAT in the section on sophomore year.

The PSAT does mean more for juniors than it does for sophomores. Hopefully, your scores will improve significantly from your sophomore year. These scores will more accurately predict your SAT scores; however, in most cases, students still improve throughout the last year of high school.

The junior PSAT is more important primarily because it is used as a screening mechanism for scholarship programs, most important the one run by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. A high score on the Selection Index (usually 99th percentile) will result in a student being honored as a National Merit Semi-Finalist. A score above 95th percentile usually earns a Letter of Commendation. The cut-off scores vary from year to year and even from state to state. As a result, we do not know who has qualified for either of these awards until fall of the senior year. In 2000-2001, the Selection Index Qualifying Score for Semifinalists for the state of Florida was 213. Only 15,500 students qualified in the United States and only 649 from the state of Florida.

Students should be more conscientious about preparing for the PSAT during the junior year, especially if the sophomore score would indicate that a score high enough to become a semi-finalist is possible. If a student wishes to do a thorough job of preparing for the tests, commercial prep programs, books and computer programs are available. Regular SAT preparation programs are no longer completely suitable because of the addition of a writing section in 1997. The school also has sample tests available in the office for further preparation. On the web, the best place to prep for the PSAT test is www.collegeboard.com.

Junior college counseling class curriculum

  • Week one: introduction to the course (classroom/lab)
    • What the course provides students and basic intro
    • Give students folders and biographical questionnaire
    • Introduce students to Naviance
    • Sign up for SAT / ACT info.
    • Introduce students to other web programs
  • Week two: students utilize an on-line interest inventory (classroom/lab)
    • Who am I ?
    • What am I good at?
    • How do these attributes help me find a major interest?
    • "Learning styles" questionnaire
    • Introduce students to other web programs as well as college search tools
  • Week three: Look at a good application/class sign-up
    • Look at the characteristics of a good application: application itself, resume, transcript, essays
    • Using the transcript as a focus, talk about course sign-up for next year.
    • Talk about keeping organized
  • Week four: the college visit and resume
    • How to set up a visit
    • What to do that will give you a feel for the place
    • When to go, who to call
    • A visit to the Student Union - important
    • Give them time to start a resume
  • Week five: the interview and the resume continued
    • Get them started on resume with information about athletic resume and mock-up
    • Who gives interviews and why
    • What will they ask
    • What should the student ask
    • Mock interviews
  • Week six: the common application:
    • Overview of paper copy and on-line forms
    • Parts of the Common - student, college counselor, teacher
    • The short answer questions
    • Students refine their resumes, word-process and turn in.
  • Week seven: the college essay
    • Topics
    • Students produce essay / word process over the next week
  • Week eight: how colleges choose a freshman class
    • Students function as an admissions committee using dummy applications
    • Admissions committee renders a decision
    • Instructor-led discussion about SUS, Ivies, others
  • Week nine: work week
  • Week ten: financing a college education
  • Week eleven: what to do next
    • Turn in essays, resumes, etc
    • Summer responsibilities
    • SAT discussion

College counseling meeting

Parents and juniors are invited to a meeting at school during the winter in order to review the college search process. This is a very valuable meeting and should not be missed. The school often invites a local college admissions officer to make a presentation.

College testing

Although some colleges are questioning the validity of SAT and ACT tests as an admissions tool, most still use them as a primary screening mechanism in order to weed out students who they do not feel will be able to handle their academic demands. Most colleges that do not require the SAT I still require the SAT II. However, some will waive the testing requirement if a student's GPA is high enough.

Most colleges require either the SAT I or ACT for admission. The SAT I has two sections (verbal and math). The scores on each range from 200 to 800, with the average score around 500. The SAT II is like the old achievement tests. One can take up to three of these subject tests on each test date. Usually only the most selective colleges in the country require the SAT II. If a college requires one or more SAT II test, it usually requires the Writing test to be one of them. Sometimes colleges will not require the SAT II for admission but will ask students to take the SAT II for placement purposes.

Most schools now also accept the ACT. On occasion, a school will actually prefer the ACT, especially schools in the Midwest and West. This test is more achievement oriented.

If a student has a learning difference, the SAT I and SAT II can also be given either untimed or with extended time. In order to qualify for either option, you must have a psycho-educational evaluation on file that clearly states that you qualify. This evaluation must be no more than three years old.

We would like our students to take the SAT I for the first time no later than in May and the SAT II in June. If you are not sure whether you should take the SAT II, it is a good rule of thumb to take it. Even if the schools you are considering at the end of your junior year do not require the SAT II, perhaps a school that you start looking at at the last minute during your senior year will require the SAT II, and you don't want to get caught short!

Register online!!

To prep or not to prep

There is no good answer to this question. Some students improve dramatically as a result of prepping, while for others, prepping has no impact at all.

The most common programs are lengthy and expensive programs that first give a student a diagnostic test to determine what a student's strengths and weaknesses are. The rest of the course is spent working on the weaknesses and teaching test-taking strategies. These programs are given by nationwide companies such as Kaplan and Princeton Review or through tutoring companies such as Sylvan Learning Center. The Alexandrian School conducts programs in campus. UNF also offers short, inexpensive programs.

If you decide to take an SAT review program, you should select a date that allows you to prepare for a specific test date. The end of the summer can be a good time to take the program because students do not have academic subjects to worry about at the same time. In order to really benefit from a prep course, a student must spend a significant amount of time doing the homework.

Some great Internet sites where you can prep at no charge:



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