The PSAT, or preliminary SAT, is an SAT test run for sophomores and juniors; it is also a chance for juniors nationwide to be recognized as National Merit Semi-Finalists and possibly qualify for a college scholarship. However, due to social distancing guidelines, the dates and options for the administration of the Menlo-hosted PSAT have been modified.  

In an October email to sophomores and juniors, Upper School Director John Schafer announced that the current plan is to offer a PSAT testing date on Jan. 26, 2021. The email also said that Menlo does not plan on having an on-campus PSAT for sophomores this year.

As stated by Schafer in his email, juniors are being prioritized because they are starting the college application process this spring and can benefit from practice in standardized testing. Additionally, the PSAT is the National Merit Scholarship qualifying test for juniors only; the test can provide financial scholarship to juniors who receive exceptional scores on the test but not to sophomores. 

Director of College Counseling Matt Mettille believes that all juniors should still take the PSAT this year despite the moved date and the possibility of some students taking the SAT in the fall. “For juniors that are planning to first take the SAT in March or May, the PSAT in January will be a good test run,” Mettille said. “For students that have already taken an SAT in the fall, this PSAT will simply allow them to potentially be recognized as a National Merit Semi-Finalist.”

Even though the PSAT was moved from October to January, it is still unlikely that any juniors will be able to take the SAT before that date. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the College Board (which runs the SAT and PSAT programs) recently canceled the upcoming November SAT date at all California testing centers. 

Junior Maya Julian-Kwong was originally taking the SAT in November, but she is now taking it in March. “I understand why [the postponement] was necessary, but it’s still not ideal,” Julian-Kwong said. “I had been taking SAT prep for a couple months, but now […] I’m having to take a long break between my prep, which makes me feel like I’m going to lose everything I learned.” Julian-Kwong also said that she hasn’t decided whether she will still take the PSAT.

The administration noted that there are no significant downsides in sophomores not taking the test this year. “The journey to becoming a strong college applicant is not a race, and students do not benefit from starting any earlier,” Schafer said in the Oct. 15 email.

“It’s a practice test for the practice test, [and] sophomore PSAT results do not qualify a student for National Merit recognition,” Mettille said. Additionally, a mock ACT and SAT, administered by AJ Tutoring, will be available for sophomores in January and February if they want more practice with standardized testing. “We will also point students to [online] practice PSAT exams if they’d like to see that as well,” Mettille said.

Sophomore Sydney Burnett was excited to take the PSAT this year, but she understands the difficulty in administering it. “I‘ve just heard that taking the PSAT is good practice and allows you to get back onto the strategies of standardized testing,” Burnett said. “It is fairly helpful to get feedback on each of the sections of the test.” Burnett also noted that she doesn’t think missing an in-person PSAT will affect taking the SAT, but she would partake in a practice PSAT if Menlo provided one for sophomores. “I will participate in a practice PSAT if the school is offering it. […] I believe it’s important to just have extra practice in a test-like environment,” she said.

Mettille also noted that because of the pandemic, almost every college has decided to be test optional in admissions. “For students that feel their academic ability doesn’t equate to a test score, standardized testing doesn’t need to be submitted,” Mettille said.