Dani Newman

Freshman, Emma Haig exploring the new digital platform for the PSAT, Bluebook.

Heads up, Del Val, the now digital PSATs are on a half day, Oct. 11, for 9th, 10th and 11th graders.

The PSATs are an SAT practice test. They evaluate students’ skills in reading, writing and math, and they are slightly less challenging than the regular SAT.

Freshmen will take the PSAT 8/9 while sophomores and juniors take the PSAT Nation Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. This year, the test is entirely digital. Make sure to bring your charged iPad, as well as a pencil and a calculator for scratch work on the math section.

For 9th-11th graders, Oct. 11 is entirely dedicated to testing. The test is two hours and 14 minutes with additional 10 minute breaks between the sections. There is no make-up date for the assessment.

Del Val uses the results to track student progress and design curriculum. Juniors scoring in the top 1% will qualify for the National Merit Scholarship. Otherwise, the test’s main value is to familiarize yourself with the SAT process and provide a gauge on how you may perform on the actual SAT. 

“Make sure you take advantage of the time you are allotted,” said Supervisor of English Tara Civitillo. “Make sure you are physically comfortable, so you can focus completely on your exam.”

A newly available feature of the PSAT, since the test is entirely online, is that it is adaptive. As you answer the questions, future questions will be determined by your performance. Additionally, your Bluebook account can be linked to Khan Academy where an SAT pretest can be made available to you based on the concepts that you showed proficiency in and the areas that appeared to need more practice.

Many students are excited by the new opportunities that come with the test transferring to an entirely digital platform.

“It’s a lot easier to manage,” said junior Sadie Swanson. “Now, I can look back, and it tells you which questions you skipped, which is really helpful.”

For seniors, Oct. 11 is the Senior Options Fair. The day includes a sunrise breakfast followed by a class meeting. Then the Options Fair begins at 9:30.

At the fair, there will be many resources to help Del Vals seniors explore post-high school opportunities. This will include many counselors on hand, military recruiters, teachers to assist students in essay writing, prevention resources to discuss safety and even representatives from Citizens Bank to talk about student loans and financing. After the fair concludes at 11:30, the seniors will take their class photo.  

Terriers, remember to charge your iPads and bring a pencil and calculator for next Wednesday.