“Making our parents proud ” might be one of many motivations for wanting to succeed in life. It can be important to keep this in mind when we approach a standardized test like the upcoming PSAT, which is this Tuesday the 15th. So how exactly can a test that even an 8th grader can take impact our long-term future? Bryan Tucker, an experienced counselor, speaks on the importance of the PSAT. “When I hear about the PSAT I always think of the Practice SAT. It gives our students a good experience before the actual SAT or even any standardized test,” Tucker said.

According to Tucker, the PSAT prepares you for what might be the most important test in a student’s academic career. From the perspective of counselors and teachers, The PSAT is built to prepare you for tests like the SAT and even the ACT which most people might view as completely different tests with different scoring systems and all

“Around 20 years ago the SAT redesigned their test and now the SAT and ACT are very similar tests, so the PSAT in terms of practice can get students that feedback they need,” Tucker said. “They’re like Nike and Adidas, or Wendy’s and McDonald’s, just two different companies making standardized tests, the scores will frequently give good feedback for students which helps them see their weaknesses.”

This shows how the PSAT can point out weaknesses that can be worked on regarding the PSAT. “It’s timed so you get used to pacing yourself,” Tucker said.

So how can students be properly prepared for these types of tests? Tucker explains how these tests are designed to test the knowledge you’ve picked up through school, so there’s not much we can do other than receive tutoring and get a good night’s rest. Good luck to everyone this Tuesday the 15th.