On Oct. 26, GCPS students in 8th grade will take the PSAT 8/9 at no cost. The PSAT 8/9 is a test that helps determine what students need to work on most so that they are ready for college when they graduate from high school. It’s part of the College Board family of assessments that includes the SAT college-admission assessment and the PSAT/NMSQT, a preview of the SAT. The PSAT 8/9 tests the same skills and knowledge as the SAT and PSAT/NMSQT, but in a way that makes sense for 8th graders.
The test focuses on the skills and knowledge at the heart of education—what students have been learning in school and what they’ll need to succeed in college. The Reading section asks students questions like ones they might experience in a lively, thoughtful, evidence-based discussion. It’s about how students take in, think about, and use information. In the Writing and Language section, the test-taker will be an editor, improving passages written especially for the test. Students will use the same skills they use to proofread their own schoolwork. The Mathematics section covers a range of math practices, with an emphasis on problem solving, modeling, using tools strategically, and using algebraic structure… the type of math that students will rely on most in all sorts of real-world situations.
The PSAT 8/9 establishes a baseline measurement of college and career readiness as students enter high school, and can help guide course selection for students.It also gives students a chance to preview the SAT and the PSAT/NMSQT. (Gwinnett 10th graders also take the PSAT/NMSQT on Oct. 26, the first step to a personalized SAT study plan and a range of scholarship opportunities.)