Imagine sitting in a classroom for nearly four hours, looking at a computer screen for a test that might not even matter to your future. For many students at our school, that’s the reality of the mandatory PSAT. Every year students in tenth and eleventh grade take the PSAT in the fall in order to prepare for the SAT. They take it during school for four periods and the only way to not take it is to miss school. Teachers encourage students to try their best, but not all students have the drive to do well. If juniors take the SAT as sophomores, they do not have use for the PSAT if they are happy with their results.
Many students are also not planning to attend college. There are different paths to take such as trades or the military. If students are not going to college, then taking the PSAT is a waste of their time. There are also students who guess through the exam or do not even answer the questions. These people are not benefitting from the almost four hours of their day. In addition, high schoolers who are already stressed out with a large workload do not need the PSAT on top of everything they have going on if they are not interested.
Mrs. Samantha Navitsky, PSAT organizer for the high school, said that the school spends around $11,000-$13,000 on the tests depending on how many sophomores and juniors there are each year.
In my opinion, schools are wasting money by providing the test for every student because not every student is interested. The school can spend their money on funding sports, school improvements or other activities.
Schools should survey how many kids actually want to do the PSAT and fund only them. This would save the school money and save students from the hassle if they do not want to take the exam. The PSAT being during school hours also wastes time for students to work on what they need to get done. Many teachers will assign more work to make up for the time missed because of the test. Especially with classes that have to follow tight schedules, the PSAT wastes time that can be spent in more valuable ways. The PSAT should not be mandatory.
