Early on a Saturday morning, students gathered at McCallum to participate in the PSAT, a test that was designed to prepare students for the SAT.

“I took it so that I could find out how the SAT would be,” junior Jessica Taylor said. “It gives you a view of what’s going to be on there.”

Counselor Lucia Facundo is the coordinator of the PSAT, and she said the PSAT helps students know what they need in order to prepare for the SAT.

“For many students it’s the first time they have taken that kind of test,” Facundo said. “Since it’s a small sampling of the SAT, it helps students take the classes they need to prepare for the SAT.”

Many students are aware that colleges look for high SAT scores. Students who score high enough on the PSAT may be eligible to advance through rounds to become National Merit Scholars.

“It’s important to get a jump on your future. SAT scores are what colleges seem to look far, so it’s important to get into a good school,” junior Wesley Johnson said.

For some students, the PSAT helps pinpoint their difficulties.

“The writing was the hardest; I kept getting too many ‘no errors,'” Taylor said.

Facundo says students should take the PSAT only if they are college-bound.

“If a student is college-bound or think they may be, I would advise it,” Facundo said. “If a student is doing it because their friends are doing it, I would strongly advise them not to.”

Facundo said students are not always pleased with their scores on the PSAT, but they can then prepare for the SAT knowing that it’s not easy.

“When students receive their scores, there are many disappointments. Our students are used to scoring well on tests,” Facundo said. “This may be the first time they do not score in the 90 percentile.”

This story was published in The Shield on Nov. 14, 2003.