Congratulations to all those sophomores and juniors who took the PSAT in school yesterday. I hope you did well.
Good luck to all those who are taking the PSAT on Saturday. If you haven’t prepped at all, please know that there’s still time. You may want to quickly sign up for ePrep’s free SAT trial. At a minumum, it will give you a sense for what to expect on Saturday.
PSAT scores should be ready sometime during the first half of December. Again, good luck.
October 17th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Helllp! I’ve been asleep at the switch.
My older homeschooled son turned 16 this past July. For some reason, I had this idea that he didn’t have to take the PSAT until next year. Now I find out he should have taken it last Wednesday or this Saturday (tomorrow).
I am beside myself. I need advice…desperately!
A word about our unconventional homeschooling situation. My husband, the full-time homeschool teacher, has his PhD (in Byzantine history) from Harvard. He has been teaching our two sons on a year-round schedule (with two longish breaks) since they were four years old. It’s really hard to guage their grade levels, because they are basically doing college-level work at this point. Both have been studying Latin and Greek for years now. (Well, hubby *is* a Byzantinist, after all. :-)) Older son has completed physics and calculus along with the usual liberal-arts courses. Both boys score in the 99th percentile in the standardized tests required by our state (NC) for homeschoolers. (California Achievement Test.)
I think our kids are good candidates for the PSAT — and, if they do well, they could possibly attract some scholarship $$ from colleges. That’s why I’m son distraught about missing the PSAT dates.
Question: Can my 16-year-old take the PSAT *next* year, when he’s 17? Is there an age limit? Are 17-year-olds too old? (I know it’s supposed to be h.s. juniors, but homeschooling is so fluid and flexible that it really raises the question: “What’s a junior?” My own sons completed junior-year-level work several years ago…so who on earth knows *what* they are, grade-level-wise?)
Also…can he take the PSAT and the SAT in the same year (next year)?
I’m not sure it matters whether he enters college in 2110 or 2011. In some ways, 2011 would be better, as his emotional maturity has not quite kept pace with his academic achievement!
We’re far from wealthy, so scholarship $$ would really help. That’s why I hope we can still get in on the PSAT, even if it’s not till next year.
Please advise! I am feeling pretty desperate.
Thanks so much!
Diane Kamer
diane_kamer@yahoo.com
diane.kamer@hanesbrands.com
October 17th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Oops, sorry for typos. That would be “gauge,” not “guage.” And “to,” not “ton.” And I write for a living. Ack!!
October 18th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Diane,
Check out these web pages when you get a chance:
http://www.nationalmerit.org/nmsp.php#entryreq (Read Student Entry Requirements)
http://www.nationalmerit.org/answer_sheet.html (It is not clear to me whether home-schooled children are considered “enrolled” as full-time high school students.)
I do not think your son’s age is going to be a disqualifying factor, especially if he enters college in 2011 as you suggested. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s website states:
“Each year’s PSAT/NMSQT is the qualifying test designated for entry to a particular year’s competitions. For example, the 2008 PSAT/NMSQT is the qualifying test for entry to competitions for scholarships to be awarded in 2010.” Thus, the 2009 PSAT is the qualifying test for students who will enter college in 2011.
The only real issue, as far as I can tell, is whether your son is considered “enrolled” as a full-time high school student. Thus, his eligibility will likely have little to do with whether he takes the test this year or next.
I will post more notes as I gather them.
October 18th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Diane,
I just found the answer I was looking for in the FAQ section of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s website.
Can a homeschooled student take the PSAT/NMSQT®?
Yes, but the test must be administered at a local high school. Contact the principal or guidance counselor well in advance of the test day to make arrangements to take the PSAT/NMSQT at that school.
Thus, it certainly looks good for you and your son.
June 3rd, 2009 at 1:23 pm
As a rising junior that will take the PSAT in the fall followed by the SAT, what preparation schedule would you recommend for users of eprep? Would eprep’s SAT prepare me for the PSAT in addition to the SAT?