RM students sit for fall standardized testing

As students segue from the virtual environment to in-person schooling this year, standardized tests make a similar transition. Regardless, there are modifications and COVID-19 guidelines that the school administration has had to work through. The PSAT and SAT was held in school from 7:45 – 11:30 a.m. on October 13. Students who opted to take these assessments during the school day were automatically registered.

To provide a quick rundown of the two tests, the PSAT is an important measure of a student’s readiness for advanced coursework, college and careers, and preparation for future college readiness examinations such as the SAT and ACT– standardized tests widely used for college admissions in the United States. 

The PSAT is offered to all sophomores and juniors free of cost. Due to the pandemic, current juniors did not have the opportunity to take the PSAT in the Fall of 2020, and will test this year. Students taking the test will have the opportunity to gain recognition from the National Merit Scholarship, a United States academic scholarship competition for university scholarships administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.  

According to the Richard Montgomery website, the upcoming SAT is available for a select crowd. To be able to take the test, you must be a current senior who did not take the SAT in the spring of 2021. For those who do not fit this requirement, the SAT, available to all, is during the school day on March 23, 2022.

IB coordinator Mr. Joseph F. Jelen gave the following advice for those taking the test. “Make sure that you know the format of the test and look at the student guides that the College Board puts out. In addition, I recommend Khan Academy for instantaneous feedback on your performance. Get a good sleep and eat a good breakfast,” he said. 

Mr. Jelen spoke on how he understood that so many students have been affected by the pandemic, and although College Board isn’t taking this into account and compromising their assessment, he anticipates RM students to do as well as they have in the past. “Nobody can ask you to do any better than your best,” he said.

Sophomore Sailaja Kadali spoke of her uncertainty about taking the PSAT. “I honestly don’t know much about these tests. I feel that I’ve found out about them a little too late,” she said. She added that she wanted to assess her performance in order to know where to improve before taking a much more serious standardized test like the SAT. 

Sophomore Anvika Deva shared similar reasoning. “I think it will be a good way to get my bearings of not only the test material, but the testing environment,” she said. She also expressed her intentions to use the information from the test to improve for when she takes the SAT.