For Norwin students, it’s that time of year again. 

     On Saturday, Oct. 17, Norwin’s juniors (and some of its sophomores) will be taking the PSATs, a nationwide test that helps students prepare for the real SAT. The test will take place at the high school, beginning at 7:45 a.m. and will take about 4 hours to complete. For many, though, trepidation is already building.

     “I’m not very excited about this,” said sophomore Abrielle Brown. “It’s a really long test and I’m feeling a little nervous about it.”

     While all juniors are mandated to take the test, Brown is one of several sophomores who elected to take the test a year early, for a small fee.

     “I think this test is a good opportunity to prepare for the future,” said Brown.

     Along with future tests, the PSAT also helps with college and career planning, and students can even qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program, where the brightest kids across the country compete for money through scholarships that can help pay for college. Every year, approximately 50,000 students are selected for the program, and nearly 8,000 of those students will receive scholarships.

     To prepare for the test, students may use the practice booklet the school provided them with, but if more help is needed, it is certainly available. Sites like College Board and Khan Academy are used by millions of students for test preparation, and it’s well worth it to spend some time studying.

     When students arrive at the high school on Saturday, they will go to the room that has been assigned to them through an email. Masks are required in the testing rooms, and they must bring a #2 pencil and a calculator, as well as their school ID. The first part of the test will be filling out identifying information, which should take about 45 minutes to complete.

     After that, it’s on to testing! Good luck to everyone who is participating!