Nearly three weeks ago, 1,192 sophomores and juniors came to their classrooms with sharpened pencils and sat in their seats, ready to take the PSAT.

Sophomores and juniors took the PSAT on October 11 where they encountered time restrictions and difficult mathematical concepts they had not yet learned, according to some students. Nevertheless, Campus Instructional Support Facilitator Lannis Nelson believes that taking the PSAT benefits students.

“I think research has shown that students taking multiple attempts at an SAT are likely to do better,” Ms. Nelson said. “If the PSAT is the first marker for a student, students will improve their score and will be better prepared to take a college entrance exam.”

Ms. Nelson also said juniors who score high enough on the PSAT can be qualified for National Merit Scholarships. For this reason, junior Jillian Mimms was pushed to do her best on the PSAT.

“I’m one of those people who really needs to get scholarships if they want to go to the school they want to go to,” Mimms said. “It’s a big deal for me.”

Additionally, her classes last year prepared her for the test, which boosted her confidence, Mimms said.

“I’ve finally been through all the classes I need to to be ready, so I won’t just keep bubbling in random answers,” Mimms said. She said she is glad that she will have the means to figure it out.

While Mimms felt hopeful about the PSAT, sophomore Ashlyn Wilde wasn’t having positive feelings towards the test.

“The stories we read in the PSAT were weird, and there were also a lot of confusing math problems,” Wilde said.

However, Wilde still sees the PSAT as a learning experience that would benefit her in the future.

“I think kids miss out on an opportunity to take and get experience with college-readiness exams, if they don’t take the PSAT,” Nelson said.

PSAT results will be released in December.