OHS students prepared for PSAT testing on October 14. The PSAT gives students an opportunity to practice taking the SAT, which many colleges require. Unlike past years the test will be held on a Saturday. Students also had to sign up and pay for the test on their own.

Some students are not taking the PSAT, such as Zoie Naylor, junior

“I will be taking a real SAT in November, instead of the PSAT,” Naylor said.

This test hopes to prepare college bound students for the real SAT by giving similar test questions and similar environment to an SAT test. The test gives a score that is predictor of a real SAT score, while also showing colleges how prepared students are for college level work.

“I think it can show where a someone is at, but you could just take a prep class to get a high score too,”  said Jesse Moulin, junior.

PSAT and other standardized testing brings up the debate of whether or not they truly measure a student’s ability and knowledge. The test was offered to both junior and sophomore students, but only juniors are eligible to compete for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

“I think it really shows the progress you make, like where you were compared to now,” said Nupur Rajkaran, junior, who is taking the test this year and has previously taken it.

The main importance for the test is to see where a student needs to make improvements for the real SAT. After receiving a score, students are given a score report that can better help them prepare for college admissions tests. Students are also encouraged to connect their scores to Khan Academy for personalized SAT prep based on the questions they missed.

“You can study and learn what you didn’t know, which can increase your score on the real SAT,” Rajkaran said.