Sophomores and Juniors Take PSAT/NMSQT on October 16

On Wednesday, October 16, all juniors and sophomores will take the digital PSAT/NMSQT, the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

What time does the PSAT/NMSQT begin?
The PSAT/NMSQT exam will begin promptly at 8:45 a.m. for College Board-approved extended time students and at 9:45 a.m. for regular-timed students. All test takers must arrive at their respective testing locations 15 minutes before the start of the exam.

When students are dismissed from their respective testing rooms they may leave campus for the remainder of the school day. However, they also are welcome to eat lunch in the Fischer Dining Pavilion and then leave campus or eat lunch and stay on campus until after-school sports practices.

Where do students take the exam?
A week before the exam, Upper School testing room assignments will be posted on the glass window of the College Counseling Office. On the morning of the test, faculty will also be present to help direct students to their locations.

What do students need to bring with them on test day?
*Charged laptop with previously installed Bluebook testing app -- Bluebook must be loaded on a student's computer prior to test day!
* Power cord and/or a portable charger
* Pencil or pen (students will be given a sheet of scratch paper)
* Graphing calculator (a Desmos calculator is embedded in Bluebook)
* Snack and a drink to consume outside of the testing room during the break

How will accommodations be delivered to College Board-approved students?
Approved College Board accommodations are embedded in Bluebook and will be provided accordingly. Students approved for extended time must stay for the full amount of time for which they are approved.

All College Board-approved students (and their parents/guardians) will receive an email from Dr. Erica Carswell, Upper School Academic Support Coordinator, in advance of the exam to eliminate any confusion on test day.

How long is the Digital PSAT/NMSQT?
* Under standard conditions, the exam takes two hours and 14 minutes with one break.
* With time and one-half (+50%), the exam takes three hours and 21 minutes, plus breaks.

When do students receive their exam results?
Students are expected to receive their online scores on Thursday, November 7.

How can students practice for the Digital PSAT/NMSQT?
Students should practice using Bluebook and explore all sample questions in the test preview. They also are encouraged to take the free, full-length practice exam on Bluebook.

Also, the College Counselors have arranged a FREE practice PSAT on this Saturday, September 21. Interested FWCD students in grades 9-11 may login from their respective homes on Saturday morning and take the practice exam that begins at 11 a.m. Offered by the long-standing test prep provider Revolution Prep, the exam will finish at 2 p.m.

Immediately following the exam, all test-takers will receive an individualized score report.

Students must register for the at-home practice PSAT (use the QR code found in the Downloads section of this newsletter), and basic demographic information will be collected. Although there is no charge to take the practice PSAT, please be aware that participating students will receive light promotional marketing on behalf of Revolution Prep.

Good luck, Falcons!