The College Board now offers the PSAT 8/9 to eighth graders and high school freshmen as the first step in the group of tests called the “SAT Suite of Assessments.”
The PSAT 8/9 is a precursor to the PSAT 10, the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) and the SAT. It allows students to set their baseline, where they can see in which areas they scored highest and which areas they should focus their attention to practice. This helps students determine what they need to work on most so that they’re ready for college when they graduate from high school - and it supports educators as they guide the way.
The PSAT 8/9 assesses your ability to solve problems and use appropriate approaches and tools strategically. The ability to reason logically in a variety of situations, including ones related to career, science, and social sciences, is tested throughout. The PSAT 8/9 includes a portion that allows the use of a calculator and a portion that does not.
Questions on the PSAT 8/9 are designed to model after the problem solving situations you’ll encounter in:
- college math, science, and social science courses
- future jobs
- your personal life
Why take the PSAT 8/9?
The PSAT 8/9 tests the same skills and knowledge as the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, and PSAT 10 - in a way that makes sense for eighth and ninth graders. It measures what they’re learning, shows them whether they’re on track for college, and lets them know where they need the most improvement. That allows students to have time to work on these areas before they take the SAT in high school.
The PSAT is essentially a gateway to doing well on the SAT. Since the primary goal of the PSAT is to prepare students for the SAT, the two tests share several similarities. As a result, prepping for the PSAT can give you an early sense of what SAT content areas you'll need to strengthen and what strategies and approaches work best for you.
When is the PSAT 8/9 offered in Miami?
This fall, the PSAT 8/9 will be offered on October 16, 2019.
How do I prepare for the PSAT 8/9?
If you are interested in taking the PSAT 8/9 in the fall, we begin preparation this summer. Math topics covered in this test prep will also prepare students who are entering Algebra 1, Algebra 2 or Geometry this fall. We start with a comprehensive skills assessment to determine our road map and plan of action. We don’t want to waste time on skills already mastered - we want to focus on what each individual student needs to learn to perform well.
Let’s talk more about getting you confident and prepared for the PSAT 8/9 … Give Mathnasium of Kendall a call at (305) 274 - 3700 on how we can help your child!
