As October nears its end, students at Seminole High School, along with many other high schools across the U.S., are preparing for the PSAT. The PSAT, or Preliminary SAT, issued by CollegeBoard, serves as both a practice test for the SAT and a qualifier for the National Merit Scholarship Program for juniors. Achieving a high score could earn juniors up to $2,500. To help students perform their best, Seminole High has implemented a PSAT tutoring program for both juniors and sophomores.
The tutoring sessions, held three times after school on October 2nd, 16th, and 17th, focused on test-taking strategies, reviewing past exams, and strengthening key areas like algebra, geometry, and reading comprehension. “The sessions helped me the most with grammar,” said Ana Jeong, an IB junior. “It was helpful to go over grammar concepts like comma rules and standard English grammar. After the tutoring session, it became one of the easiest sections that I could speed through.”
In addition to after-school tutoring, students were offered a full-length practice test on a Saturday. “After taking the practice test, I felt much more confident going into the PSAT. I realized it wasn’t as hard as I expected, and knowing the question types and formatting beforehand was a big advantage,” Jeong explained. The hands-on experience gave many students a clearer understanding of what to expect.
The tutoring wasn’t just about improving scores, it also aimed to reduce anxiety, a major factor in test performance. Rhea Bagchee, another IB junior, says, ”I actually learned a lot on how to correctly answer the PSAT style questions that were not exactly how normal English worked, and it helped me on my test,”
“The program helped me reinforce forgotten material, especially geometry,” Jeong shared. “Thanks to teachers like Mrs. Meahl, Mrs. Border, Dr. Springfield, I feel supported and prepared for the PSAT.”
With the PSAT behind them, many Seminole students feel more prepared for the SAT and future exams. “I would tell sophomores or other juniors to not get anxious about the exam unless you need a national merit scholarship,,” Bagchee advised. “The PSAT is really just a practice for the SAT, and the school provides plenty of support. I usually get anxious and stressed about every test, but the PSAT tutoring program helped me understand almost every question on the PSAT.” Thanks to the school’s dedicated PSAT tutoring program, students have gained both academic skills and confidence that will benefit them even after this test is over.