Keva Li
Editor '18
As the timer on the smartboard counts down the last few seconds of the test, students scribble to finish answering the last question of the math section. Once the timer beeps red and a sound blares, pencils are placed down and tests are handed in. The students can now relax and spend the rest of their Saturday elsewhere.
Tenth and eleventh graders are given the chance to take the Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The test is a standardized test administered by the College Board and sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Students that score among the high percentile are awarded the National Merit Scholarship, either honored as a semi-finalist or Commendation.
The PSAT is a great placement test that prepares students for the SAT, as well as ACT. Taking the PSAT provides valuable insight into learning how the SAT will be formatted and what skill the SAT is testing. The PSAT includes four sections: Reading, Writing, Math without calculator, and Math with calculator. The first section has 47 multiple choice questions that must be completed in an hour. The genres of the passages are natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, literary fiction, and personal narrative. The second section has 44 multiple questions with a time limit of 35 minutes. This section tests grammar, identifying sentence errors, and improving sentences. The third section has a 25 minute no-calculator section. The fourth section has a 45 minute calculator section. The math section tests questions on the heart of algebra, problem solving and data analysis, passport to advanced math, and other additional topics.
The prestigious National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and National Merit Scholarship Commendations were announced a few weeks before the October 15th PSAT was administered. The Great Neck North High School Semifinalists were Nicholas Calto, Jonathan Gao, Solly Kasab, Diana Kim, Zachary Lee, and David Liu. These individuals are among the 16,000 students that scored the highest in New York State and showed exceptional academics and potential for success. These students represent less than one percent of seniors in New York State. Achieving as semifinalists, they will move onto the Final who are rewarded with the National Merit $25,000. The North High's Commended students were Andrew Abrudescu, Patrick Gao, Julia Goldsamt, Erica Levy, Victoria Liu, Scott Rothbaum, Leila Shirian, Joseph Taied, Katie Tropp-Levy, Aaron Young, and Judy Zhang. These individuals are among the top five percent of students who took the 2015 PSAT.
Editor '18
As the timer on the smartboard counts down the last few seconds of the test, students scribble to finish answering the last question of the math section. Once the timer beeps red and a sound blares, pencils are placed down and tests are handed in. The students can now relax and spend the rest of their Saturday elsewhere.
Tenth and eleventh graders are given the chance to take the Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The test is a standardized test administered by the College Board and sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Students that score among the high percentile are awarded the National Merit Scholarship, either honored as a semi-finalist or Commendation.
The PSAT is a great placement test that prepares students for the SAT, as well as ACT. Taking the PSAT provides valuable insight into learning how the SAT will be formatted and what skill the SAT is testing. The PSAT includes four sections: Reading, Writing, Math without calculator, and Math with calculator. The first section has 47 multiple choice questions that must be completed in an hour. The genres of the passages are natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, literary fiction, and personal narrative. The second section has 44 multiple questions with a time limit of 35 minutes. This section tests grammar, identifying sentence errors, and improving sentences. The third section has a 25 minute no-calculator section. The fourth section has a 45 minute calculator section. The math section tests questions on the heart of algebra, problem solving and data analysis, passport to advanced math, and other additional topics.
The prestigious National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and National Merit Scholarship Commendations were announced a few weeks before the October 15th PSAT was administered. The Great Neck North High School Semifinalists were Nicholas Calto, Jonathan Gao, Solly Kasab, Diana Kim, Zachary Lee, and David Liu. These individuals are among the 16,000 students that scored the highest in New York State and showed exceptional academics and potential for success. These students represent less than one percent of seniors in New York State. Achieving as semifinalists, they will move onto the Final who are rewarded with the National Merit $25,000. The North High's Commended students were Andrew Abrudescu, Patrick Gao, Julia Goldsamt, Erica Levy, Victoria Liu, Scott Rothbaum, Leila Shirian, Joseph Taied, Katie Tropp-Levy, Aaron Young, and Judy Zhang. These individuals are among the top five percent of students who took the 2015 PSAT.