• South High will host the 2024 PSAT on Saturday, October 26th at 8:30am.  Please read the below to determine if your student is a good candidate to take the PSAT.  Instructions on how to sign up for the PSAT are listed below as well.

    The PSAT will be administrated digitally.  This test is for Juniors. How important is the PSAT?  There is a lot of hype and misinformation about the PSAT.  Below are some helpful considerations before deciding to take the PSAT.

    Is the PSAT right for you?

    • The PSAT (Pre-SAT) is, in the end, just an introduction to the real SAT.  We do recommend all juniors take both a practice SAT and ACT once before taking both tests.  This way you know which test you are more likely to score better on, and then you can focus on that test for true test sessions.
    • There are other practice ACT/SAT tests that are more readily accessible, are free, and give better score reports helping you focus on what you need to do to improve your score. We partner with Frontier Tutoring to offer free practice ACT and SAT tests during both fall and winter.  You can sign up for free practice SAT/ACT tests through Frontier Tutoring at the below link:  
    • 10th-grade students do not need to take the PSAT. There is no need to practice for a practice test. If you do feel it is important to take a practice SAT this year, we suggest using the resource listed above.
    • The one component the College Board PSAT does offer (11th graders only) is a qualification for National Merit Scholarship.  The top 1% (near perfect score) of PSAT takers, nationally, will become National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and be eligible to begin the process of applying for that scholarship.  Typically, this is 10-15 students in all of ASD. The National Merit Scholarship is currently $2500 towards the student’s freshman year of college if they win; only 2,500 of these are awarded nationally.

    After consideration, if you are an 11th grade student who wishes to participate in the PSAT at South, here are steps you need to take:

    1. Pay $25 for the PSAT through .  The window for payment is September 23 - October 2nd.  Limited to 70 students.
    2. Students need to arrive at the South High Flagpole Entrance at 8:30am on October 26.
    3. Students will be expected to leave South immediately at the end of the test (11:30am12:00pm).

    There are no refunds after the registration window closes

    Students should bring:

    • Picture ID
    • Calculator WITH NEW BATTERIES (see below*)
    • Bottled water

    * Calculator Use: You may use a calculator on the math sections.  Students are strongly encouraged to take a calculator to the PSAT/NMSQT, whether or not they plan to use it.

    Approved Calculators:

      • Four-function calculator
      • Scientific calculator
      • Graphing calculator

    Calculators NOT permitted:

      • Hand-held or laptop computer
      • Electronic writing pad or pen input device
      • Calculator with a QWERTY (typewriter-like) keypad
      • Calculator that makes noise or “talks”
      • Calculator that requires an outlet
      • Cell phone