You’re probably feeling a little daunted about taking the PSAT; that’s normal. It’s probably the first time you’ve ever taken such an important test before (unless, of course, you have one of those really hard teachers whose tests make you feel like working outside in 120 degree weather would be preferable).
However, there’s no need to worry about the PSAT or getting ready for it. We have some easy PSAT prep tips here that will make your study time more useful, which could even help you earn a higher score in the PSAT, too.
- Recall the long-term strategy: reading and focusing in class.
This isn’t something you can work on overnight, or even the week before your PSAT. However, once you realize that the PSAT relies on your learning history, it’s best that you go through your class notes and remember what you’ve learned already in your high school career (or even from before that). Refresh yourself by looking up topics online that you’re still not clear on. And it never hurts to pick up a book even if you won’t finish it before the PSAT! - Mark down your test date on a calendar.
This PSAT prep tip might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many students forget the date of their test. Writing it down helps cement it in your memory. The reminder on your calendar simply makes it harder to forget the test date. If you’d like to get even more organized, try scheduling a study plan for yourself in the weeks leading up to the test, too. - Take a PSAT prep class.
If you’re just not good at studying on your own, there are plenty of people to help you with that. Lots of schools offer PSAT prep classes, and you can even take several of these online (we’re even offering an entire week of PSAT test prep classes!). - Take a PSAT prep test.
We’ve already covered in some of our previous blog posts about how you can take a PSAT prep test online or through your school or library. However, there’s also the option of checking out some test questions online. This College Board PSAT prep test site should do the trick; it has links to several practice versions for different areas you’ll be tested over. - Learn the PSAT format and educated guessing techniques.
Last but not least, it’s very important to familiarize yourself with the PSAT format itself; we’ve written a post to help you with this. But you also need to know when and how to guess on the test. If you can narrow down your options to only two answers and you can take an educated guess from there, always try to answer a test question this way. If you can’t, avoid the question all together as you can still pass the test by skipping some questions (and answering multiple choice questions incorrectly results in a ¼ of a point deduction).
With all this information at the tips of your fingers, there’s really no need to be nervous about the test so long as you actually apply these PSAT prep tips. Once you’ve put in some good preparation, you’ll be that much more likely to do well on the test overall.
