Five minutes left, three questions remain. Three minutes left. Now, it’s down to just the last two. Two minutes… 30 seconds…
“Congratulations!” the screen says, signaling the end of the PSAT. “Your test is complete and your answers have been submitted.”
Last month, scores for the PSAT and the SAT that students took in October were released. Some are happy with their scores, some wish they had done better, and some are already preparing for their next test.
One student, senior Katalina Brunetti, scored a 1430 on their SAT in October 2023, which was allowed to be submitted as their PSAT score, qualified as a semi-finalist for the National Merit Scholarship and will find out if they are a finalist in the spring. Katalina has since retaken the SAT and got a 1510 out of 1600, but the 1430 is still what qualified them for the National Merit Scholarship.
“They’re super smart, they’re kind, they’re considerate of everybody else’s feelings.” Samatha Baker, Katalina’s FCCLA Culinary adviser said. “They’re just funny and goofy. They’re somebody who I think I would describe as the ideal student every teacher wishes they could have. I was like, I want to be them when I grow up. They’re amazing. I was so proud of them [for becoming a semi-finalist].”
Junior Alexia Alonso, first met Brunetti two years ago in Intro to Culinary.
“They’re very chill,” Alonso said. “They’re very goofy. They’re a little silly goose. It’s so fun to hang out with them [even] when I just met them. They’re a very good leader, and I love them personally because they’re so nice and they’re so lovely.”
Brunetti is not only involved and a leader in their extracurriculars, but also in their day-to-day classes.
“[Katalina’s] always excited about learning every day when they come in,” AP Chemistry teacher Shayna Reasoner said. “They’re very dedicated to their work and always ask questions that go above and beyond. They’re a leader and will take charge [if there’s] anything that needs [to be] done, but also encouraging everyone in the group to be active participants in it as well.”
Studying for tests like the PSAT and the SAT can be difficult. Brunetti has 3 tips that could help students prepare for taking the PSAT or SAT.
One: familiarize yourself with the test. Katalina recommends taking the free SAT practice tests on Bluebook, CollegeBoard’s official test prep website, and attending the SAT boot camp the school hosts during a weekend in the spring semester.
Two: study with Khan Academy! Katalina said that Khan Academy is what they preach whenever others ask them how they did so well on the SAT. Khan Academy provides an SAT prep course, split into reading and math, both with different topics and sections that range from beginner to advanced, with articles, quizzes, and end-of-unit tests that help you learn and understand the material you will be tested on.
Three: take the SAT when you’re ready. While you can’t schedule when you can take the PSAT, you can choose when you take the SAT. The SAT is a test you can take almost anytime throughout the year and Katalina recommends taking advantage of this flexibility and taking the test outside of a school day (like over the weekend or the summer) as you will have more time to dedicate to studying and preparing for the SAT.
It’s important to remember that test scores, like the PSAT and SAT, are only a small part of what colleges look for in hopeful students. They also look at transcripts, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and more beyond just one test.
