On Wednesday, October 15, sophomores and juniors of Rice Memorial High School will take the PreACT and PSAT. Many dread the tests, largely because they don’t really know what they are or what purpose they serve.

Both the ACT, American College Test, and SAT are standardized tests that are used by many colleges as part of their admissions process. These tests are largely administered as a way to quantitate student’s readiness for college-level academics.

So what are the PreACT and PSAT?

The “pre” in PreACT is meant to indicate that it comes before the ACT and the “p”, indicating preliminary, carries the same meaning for the SAT.

The tests are essentially practice tests. They are meant to introduce students to the type and format of questions that are asked on the ACT and SAT. Students can also gain valuable information about what they need to work on or study prior to the actual ACT and SAT. Students can use their baseline scores in the respective sections of each practice test to determine which subjects they need to study. 

The PSAT is also known as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Students are given an index score which must be within the range of accepted index scores for their state.

However, colleges never actually see PreACT or PSAT scores. Additionally, colleges don’t see scores that students don’t want them to see. Students must choose to send scores to colleges.

Below is a summary of the format of these tests.

(College Board Website, Princeton Review)

Tips for the morning of the PreACT and PSAT:

• Dress comfortably and in layers. You need to be prepared for any temperature.
• Eat a filling breakfast, but don’t stray too far from your usual routine. If you normally aren’t a breakfast eater, don’t eat a huge meal but make sure you have something substantial.
• Get to your school early. There is likely to be some confusion about where to go and how to sign in, check with your counselor for details.

(Kaplan Test Prep)