Let students sit out PSAT

Have you ever had to carve out time in your already busy schedule to sit through a test that doesn’t affect your future? Because we have, and frankly we’re sick of it!

Every year, students are subjected to the PSAT, which comes with an extensive process. Students spend half an hour of their day before preparing for the test, trying to make sure the software works, even if it doesn’t. Then they spend another three hours taking the test in a random classroom. During this time, the senior class must attend two “informative” lectures, one of which goes over life after high school, the other being a preparatory lesson on FAFSA and college applications.

On PSAT day, many students suffer from technical errors that limit their time while setting up for the test, and then finally take it. In a survey by The Olympian, about two-thirds of students stated that they would rather have this class time for regular instruction instead of testing. The overwhelming opinion was that this PSAT time is unhelpful. However, about 80% of students responded saying that they would want to keep the PSAT available.

Here at The Olympian, we agree with the student body. We find that the PSAT is somewhat of a waste of time. Students who are testing, seniors who attend faux seminars, and teachers who proctor the test are, to some extent, not having their time used efficiently.

The PSAT is something that students usually take in preparation for the SAT. However, according to our survey, very few students, juniors and seniors especially, had already taken the SAT (~15%). Less than half of all respondents stated they planned on taking it. This statistically shows that for our students and staff, the time usage that is drained from taking and preparing for the test is not helpful to CVHS.

We at The Olympian believe that the PSAT should be fully optional for students and given over the weekend so that it doesn’t interfere with as many extracurricular activities, while still allowing students who want the practice to take it. This would give students and staff more time for in-class educational activities.

We also believe that the senior information assembly could have been done during a Trojan Time, especially since it felt that some speakers were trying to fill time with extra fluff. Some counselors even stated they offered the speakers notes to go off of, but instead, they decided to “wing it.”

The PSAT is an important stepping stone for those interested in taking the SAT, but The Olympian finds the PSAT guilty of wasting our time as students. From technical errors to long, unnecessary waiting times, the process of preparing for a test shouldn’t be this hard or take up as much of our day.