PSAT Test – Opportunity to Qualify for $2500 National Merit Scholarship
For the first time, both sophomores and juniors at Messalonskee High School will be taking the PSAT. Guidance counselors at the school applaud the change.
“It’s an opportunity for practice,” guidance counselor Kara Sprague said, “and the money for testing is provided through a MELMAC (Foundation) grant.”
Prior to this year, Messalonskee was one of two high schools in the state – Gardiner is the other – that did not require juniors to take the PSAT, a standardized national test that prepares students for the more comprehensive SAT.
Messalonskee sophomore and juniors are scheduled for PSAT testing on Wednesday, Oct. 11 during the school day. The SAT is slated for early April, also during the school day.
Along with helping students be better prepared for the SAT, the PSAT provides students an opportunity to qualify for a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship based on their score on the test, according to Sprague.
About 3.8 million students nationwide take the PSAT each fall, according to The College Board, the not-for-profit organization that distributes the test to schools.