Across Frisco ISD, sophomores and juniors are taking the PSAT during first and second period on Wednesday. Many students have been preparing for the test.

“I’ve been preparing and getting ready for the PSAT for a while now,” junior Addison LeBlanc said. “I’ve used SAT prep books and some worksheets.”

While the PSAT provides practice for students, it also serves as the National Merit Scholarship Qualification Test.

“The PSAT is important because it can get you to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship, which is great for many different colleges,” senior Sophie Yang said. “Being a semifinalist or finalist can also be something that can help you stand out when applying to colleges.”

Juniors who score in the top percentile of test takers throughout the country qualify for scholarship opportunities through the National Merit Scholarship Competition. 15 Redhawks scored high enough on last year’s test to earn the National Merit Semifinalist designation.

Yang, who qualified as a Semifinalist, believes being well rested is crucial to finding success when taking the test. 

“I think the most important thing is to make sure you are well-rested for the test,” Yang said. “I ended up being extremely tired on the reading section the first time I took it, which impacted my score.”

While there are many similarities to last year’s test, the PSAT students will take this year is virtual.

“I’m already nervous that I could forget something math related, because there’s so much to remember,” LeBlanc said. “But I’ve also never taken a virtual test like the PSAT, and there are a lot of things that could wrong with technology.”

With sophomores and juniors testing in first and second period, as well as advisory, freshmen and seniors have late arrival and are asked not to arrive on campus until 12:45 p.m. A regular A-day school schedule will start with third period.