5 tips to ace the PSAT

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Whether you’ve been preparing for the PSAT for months as part of Heritage’s National Merit Scholarship program or you’re just looking to gauge your performance on the SAT, here are five tips and tricks to boost your performance on test day.

  1. The day before, try to de-stress however you like. Exercising or playing with a pet can improve your mood. On test day, techniques such as meditating, taking slow breaths, as well as purposefully tensing and then relaxing your muscles can calm you down.
  2. Get a good night’s sleep before test day. Aim for at least seven to eight hours to keep you alert during the test.
  3. Pack your bag the night before with a few #2 pencils, a calculator, water bottle, maybe a quick snack, your ID and a Heritage-approved jacket or sweatshirt in case your room is cold. This will minimize your stress on test day and ensure that you don’t forget anything.
  4. Eat a healthy breakfast to keep your energy up throughout the test and ensure that you’re not distracted by hunger. Try to avoid sugar and go for protein and whole grains instead.
  5. If you’ve been preparing, go over any mistakes you’ve made on your last practice test. Make sure you understand why you got the questions wrong, because that will help guide your last quick review so you can strengthen your weakest areas.
Junior Austin Klein completes a PSAT practice test as part of the National Merit Scholarship preparation program. Juniors taking the PSAT are eligible to participate, with the possibility of winning scholarship money and national recognition as the top 1% in their state. (Photo/Anya Pinto)

Now a senior at American Heritage, Anya returns as Editor-in-Chief of the Patriot Post. With her passion for journalism, she is Co-President of the Quill and Scroll Honor Society. She started an organization called “ActionPAKT: Projects Advocating for a Kinder Tomorrow” to educate youth about current issues and help them take action; currently, she has expanded it to 15+ chapters in multiple countries, raising $17,000 within the Heritage chapter itself. As a Youth Ambassador for Bullets4Life, Anya advocates for gun control. She leads the top Model UN program in the nation as President, competing nationally and organizing conferences at school. To relax, Anya hangs out with friends, swims, goes on walks and binge watches Netflix. She loves the beach, good food and her lazy little dog Simba more than anything.