The Other Purpose of the PSAT

The PSAT is an important milestone for Juniors--and a big moment on the calendar for colleges.

When you get overwhelmed by messages after the PSAT, you should be thankful it isn’t all arriving as paper mail. Photo by the blowup on Unsplash

October is PSAT month. On any school day during this coming month, students all across the USA will be sitting down to take the PSAT. The PSAT is taken in school with classmates, and the College Board allows students to take it on any school day—as long as it is in October.

Every school’s test day is decided by the school. Practically speaking, each individual student has no choice and gets told what day they will be taking the PSAT. There is no chance for a mulligan or to boost a PSAT score by a few points, like with the SAT. (Students and Parents: if you have not heard what day you are taking the test, you MUST contact your school’s counselors.) That one-shot element of the PSAT, as well as its October schedule, are critical to understanding the PSAT.

The focus on test day should be the PSAT itself. It is a test-run for the SAT and can win stu…