Every October, the PSAT brings up a familiar question from parents of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors: How seriously should my student prepare for this test? The answer depends greatly on your student’s grade level. One of the biggest mistakes families can make is assuming that “test prep” should look the same for every high school student. A freshman does not need the same preparation as a junior—and in many cases, the best preparation for younger students doesn’t look like traditional test prep at all.
🎙️Listen to this conversation on Should You Prepare For The PSAT? on the Tests and the Rest podcast.
Here’s what we recommend at each stage.
Freshmen: Build the Foundation, Not the Test-Prep Schedule
Some freshmen may take the PSAT 8/9, while others may not take a College Board test at all this fall. Either way, most ninth graders have little reason to begin formal SAT or PSAT preparation. Instead, freshman year should be about building the academic foundation that will eventually produce stronger test scores. That starts with taking appropriately challenging high school courses and developing strong classroom habits. Students should focus on mastering the math they are learning now rather than racing ahead simply for the sake of test preparation.
This is also an excellent time to work on something that becomes increasingly difficult to “cram” later: reading ability and vocabulary. Read often. Read challenging material. Look up unfamiliar words. Become comfortable with more sophisticated sentence structures and ideas. The strongest long-term test preparation for a freshman is becoming a stronger student and a stronger reader.
Sophomores: Increase the Academic Challenge
By sophomore year, students may take the PSAT/NMSQT in October, but the test is still primarily a benchmarking opportunity. Sophomore PSAT scores can give families useful information about a student’s strengths and weaknesses and help shape a testing plan for junior year. Academically ambitious sophomores should continue challenging themselves with Honors, AP, IB, or other rigorous courses when appropriate. The goal isn’t to load a transcript with the most difficult classes possible—it is to continue developing the reasoning, reading, writing, and math skills that college-level work and standardized tests demand.
And when it comes to reading, we encourage students to broaden what they read. Many students naturally gravitate toward novels and literature. Those are valuable, but students preparing for the SAT should also become comfortable reading nonfiction and more technically challenging material, particularly articles related to social science and natural science. Think psychology, economics, history, biology, environmental science, technology, and research-based journalism. Why? Because students need practice extracting information from unfamiliar, information-dense passages—not just following a story.
Juniors: Now the PSAT Matters More
Junior year is different. For juniors, the October PSAT/NMSQT can serve two important purposes. It provides another valuable measure of SAT readiness, but it also identifies students for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Students who had particularly strong PSAT scores as sophomores should pay close attention. Depending on their junior-year performance and their state’s qualifying levels, they may be competitive for National Merit Semifinalist or Commended Student recognition. For those students, the October PSAT deserves serious preparation.
But even for students who aren’t pursuing National Merit recognition, junior year is when formalized SAT and ACT preparation should move from “We’ll get to that eventually” to an actual plan. By the beginning of junior year, families should be planning or actively executing a test-prep strategy. That might include establishing baseline SAT and ACT scores, determining which test is the better fit, identifying specific skill gaps, choosing testing dates, and beginning targeted preparation. The objective isn’t simply to prepare for one October PSAT. It is to create a thoughtful testing timeline that carries the student through junior year.
The Right Preparation at the Right Time
Test preparation is most effective when it matches a student’s developmental and academic stage.
Freshmen: Build the foundation. Take challenging courses, develop strong study habits, read extensively, strengthen vocabulary, and develop grammar skills.
Sophomores: Increase academic rigor, expand nonfiction reading, and use PSAT results to begin understanding testing strengths and weaknesses.
Juniors: Have a plan. Take the PSAT seriously—particularly if National Merit recognition may be within reach—and begin purposeful SAT/ACT preparation.
There is no prize for starting formal test prep the earliest. The goal is to start the right preparation at the right time. At Seeley Test Pros/LEAP, we help families determine what that “right time” looks like for each student. Practice testing can establish a baseline, identify strengths and weaknesses, and help families decide whether the SAT, ACT, or both should be part of the junior-year plan.
Not sure what your freshman, sophomore, or junior should be doing this fall? Reach out to us to learn how we can help you determine the appropriate next step for your student.
📞 Cleveland: 216-965-5162
📞 Cincinnati: 513-754-2240
📧 Email us at info@leaprogram.com