WOODBURY — With SATs around the corner for Nonnewaug juniors — and perhaps some seniors, too — they and underclassmen prepare by taking PSATs every October.
This year’s scores are expected to be released to students Nov. 16.
Nonnewaug principal Dr. Mykal Kuslis said that PSAT scores will help the school improve.
“We want everyone to do their best,” Kuslis said. “I think as we get into what matters to the schools, which is the SAT scores in terms of state reporting ,we want our kids to do well on PSATs. It helps us as a school to really determine where we really need to give instruction, so we hope that everyone really takes it seriously because it really gives us the opportunity to change our instruction.”
Freshman Julia Gwiazdoski said her first experience with the test was a bit stressful.
“Taking the PSATs for the first time was nothing like I expected,” Gwiazdoski said. “They weren’t hard, but I feel like they just stressed me out for nothing, and the pressure of having to take the real test in two years made taking the PSATs a little bit harder than they should be.”
As much as PSATs help students prepare for the real SAT, they also cause stress to students worried about their test scores.
Chris Maclean, PSAT supervisor and guidance counselor at Nonnewaug, wishes students can see the test as helpful preparation for SATs without over-stressing.
“I hope that people take the PSATs for what they are supposed to be, which is just practice,” says Maclean. “I mean, I always tell students you want to go and do the best you can because it’s really good prep for the SATs, but there is no reason to go and freak out about it. The scores don’t go anywhere and they are not reported to colleges, but it just gives you the experience. You kind of get to know where your strengths and weaknesses are and what you can do to improve for the next time and for the SAT.”
Gianna Lodice, a senior at NHS, gives students a reason not to worry as she explains how PSATs help prepare students for the real test.
“It’s definitely good because it gives you a feel for the real test. It helps before you go into it so you don’t go in blind,” Lodice says. “The test itself can be really stressful if you have never had any experience with what it looks like or what kind of questions they have, so it’s good to have practice for a few years before you go into the real thing.”
