The PSAT – Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test – is a standardized test administered by the College Board and cosponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for high schoolers across the United States. The two hour and 45 minute test is taken by over 3.5 million high schoolers every year, and it is designed to expose students to an SAT/ACT experience and give them an opportunity to receive a National Merit Scholarship. The PSAT in years past was optional for students, but all juniors and sophomores were automatically signed up this year.

Juniors Maggie Doyle and Nathan Zeichner and sophomore Will Quigley spoke about their experience with the PSAT.

Q: Did you feel prepared for the material on the PSAT today?

Doyle: “Sort of. The geometry was iffy because it’s been a long time since I’ve taken that class. Overall, it was pretty easy though.”

Zeichner: “I did feel prepared. I knew the material on the test.”

Quigley: “Uh, well, I didn’t study…!”

Q: Do you believe that the PSAT is useful in preparing for the SAT and other standardized tests?

Doyle: “Probably. I haven’t taken the SAT yet, but I’m sure it will have been useful. I’ll be taking the SAT in December.

Zeichner: “I don’t know because I haven’t taken the SAT yet.”

Quigley: “I think that it’s probably useful because it helps you to know what to expect.”

Q: Do you feel that taking the PSAT was worth the disruption to the normal, daily schedule?

Doyle: “Well, it got me out of class, so yeah!”

Zeichner: “It is worth the disruption because this gives us the opportunity to practice for something that actually matters, and it’s an opportunity to get scholarships.”

Quigley: “Yeah I didn’t mind. It was useful to get a chance to see what the test could be like.”

Q: Have you been enjoying the PSAT memes?

Doyle: “I actually haven’t even seen them yet. I’ll definitely take a look soon.”

Zeichner: “Does Wisconsin make a lot of cheese?”

Quigley: “Yeah, they’re all pretty good. I didn’t understand them last year, so they seem a lot funnier this year!”

Regardless of your opinion on how helpful the PSAT is, it is universally agreed that the best and most entertaining aspect of the test is the high-quality memes that come from the gruelling hours of testing. PSAT results typically come out in December, four to six weeks after taking the exam, and are available on The College Board.