by Nick Mourtoupalas ’13

On October 12, most ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade students will be taking the Practice SAT, and many of those students interpret the word “Practice” in very different ways. Fundamentally, the PSAT results in nothing physical or anything pertinent to your GPA; this unfortunately acts as a cue for some students.

Ignorant ninth grade students, to begin with, see the test as either a burden on their school day or an unbearable several hours of agony to sit through. I have been there and I know how it feels.

In tenth grade, students seem to experience a moment of apprehension and awareness that the essentially pointless and time-wasting test they have taken the previous year(s) may actually have some value in their teenage life.

Many students of all grade levels need to fully grasp the fact that the PSAT does not exist to bore the life out of you or put you to sleep. It does not cost money to serve no purpose in the future. It is there for a reason, a good one, and many students lack the understanding of that.

Excluding tenth graders, the PSAT runs you $14 of your hard-earned pennies for a near-identical representation of the actual SAT, which could potentially give you a much better image of the test. That is, if you care.

I am not saying that the SAT is everything, because it is not. Any form of practice testing essentially prepares you for any timed test, even situations outside of the classroom. Passing up the PSAT is a decision guaranteed to induce regret. There is nothing to lose. Go prepare for life after high school.