College Board released PSAT scores to student this week, leading to celebration for some and increased study for others.

Junior Thien-Nhi Nguyen said she prepared throughout the year for the PSAT and earned a 1480. 

“In summer I did Khan Academy and then up until the beginning of school I started doing more intensive PSAT prep,” Nguyen said. “I usually did about 10 to 20 problems and then a month before the PSAT I worked on more PSAT books.”

The National Merit Scholarship program accepts around 50,000 participants based on juniors’ PSAT scores. The score range for the PSAT is 320-1520 and the results of the PSAT are used to create a personalized plan on Khan Academy in order to prepare students for the SAT.

Testing Coordinator Rebecca Matoska said the PSAT can positively influence scores depending on resources use.

“Using data from the PSAT by linking your College Board and Khan Academy accounts can help,” Matoska said. “Khan Academy uses your score to create a personalized study plan you can follow. If you do this often you will see better SAT results.”

Freshman Cassidy Corey said her PSAT score improved but could’ve been hindered by her lack of sleep throughout the week. 

“I was not in the best state for that test,” Corey said. “Especially because I had been really tired over the whole week leading up to it.”

Taking the PSAT makes many students nervous because of the time limits and importance of the exam. 

“It was really nerve-racking because I know my older sister got the National Merit Scholarship and my parents also wanted me to live up to that expectation, and so did I,” Nguyen said.

By Sarah McCray