On Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, eighth graders across the nation sat down to take the same test. The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, or PSAT for short. So what is the PSAT?

The PSAT, as the name implies, is a preliminary SAT. It takes place every October or November of the year. The PSAT is formatted like the SAT but is not quite as long. It has a reading, writing, and two math sections. It starts out with the reading section. The reading section is 55 minutes long and consists of 42 questions. In the section, students are given multiple passages and have to answer questions about them. Then comes the writing section. This section is 30 minutes long and consists of 40 questions. This is the revising and editing portion of the test. Next up is the math with no calculator section. It is 20 minutes long and consists of 13 questions. The final section is the math with a calculator section. This is 40 minutes long and has 25 questions.

The PSAT is a way for you to track your own progress. Students take it in eighth grade and tenth grade. Analyzing both the scores allows you to see the progress that you have made and what you need to work on for the SAT. The PSAT does not show up at all when students apply for college or a job.

The PSAT has brought mixed reviews from students.

“I thought the test was pretty easy. It wasn’t that bad. I like how we didn’t have all of our classes,” Vijay Dagupati (8) said.

There were also people who disagreed with him.

“What was the point of the test? I don’t think there was a point to that test,” Noah Kim (8) said.

There is one thing that both Kim and Dagupati agreed on. When asked about their final thoughts on the test they both said: “It was boring.”

Not everybody hated the PSAT though. “It was one of the better tests I have taken. I liked it better than most tests and STAAR tests,” Rakesh Singh (8) said.