The PSAT has long been a daunting test for all high school students. It was previously a grueling pencil and paper test, but the PSAT going digital has allowed for many more minor changes throughout the test that may make it easier for students.

The main reason the PSAT is so important is because of the National Merit Scholarships. To be eligible for this scholarship you have to score within the top one percent of your state on the PSAT. All winners of this scholarship receive $2500. Winning this scholarship is also a huge honor which looks great on a college application.

Previously, the tests consisted of three total hours of testing. This was split between reading, which was 52 questions in 65 minutes writing and language, which was 44 questions in 35 minutes; math without a calculator, which was 20 questions in 25 minutes; and math with a calculator, which was 38 questions in 55 minutes.

The new test is now a total of two hours and 14 minutes. The test will now be made up of significantly shorter sections along with minor section changes. The first part of the reading and writing section will be 27 questions in 32 minutes, followed by the second reading section, which will again be 27 questions in 32 minutes. These are followed by two sections of math which consist of 22 questions in 35 minutes. Previously calculators were only allowed for one section. This year, they will be allowed for both.

Part of the PSAT’s difficulty was the mental wear down over time. This was caused mainly by the long length of reading passages that would be followed by 6-8 questions about the passage.
There are now much shorter passages for reading and writing. This is meant to help prevent students from burnout while testing. It will also be an excellent way to increase students’ ability to focus and hopefully score higher.

One of the most important aspects of the PSAT is the scoring. The PSAT will still be scored from the 300-1520 range with 1520 being a perfect score. With these tests now being digital, scores will be sent back much faster. The then months of waiting for scores will be reduced to weeks.

Student responses were extremely positive. Out of 49 student reponses from a journalism survey, students gave the digital PSAT a 3.9/5. Eighty-two percent of students gave a rating of 4 or 5. Ten percent gave a 3 and 8 percent gave a two or one.

In comparison, many students said it was much easier and took less time to complete.

“I liked it made it not as boring as pen and paper and you could manage your time better,” Grant Barna ‘25 said.

This could possibly affect the future testing process. It will make the school testing schedule much more manageable.

“I think the flexibility of administering the test is a huge positive. We have one week to give the test at any time we choose,” college planning counselor Mrs. Kim Schumacher.
She also stated, “I like the flexibility that we can administer the test even in sections. In the future we will not have to alter the school schedule.”