PSAT scores between 1210 and 1520 are excellent scores that will put you in the top 10% of all test takers.
- OVERALL SCORE: 1210-1520
- MATH: 620+
- READING AND WRITING: 620+
Room: 318
Mrs. Joanne Lewis
Director, College & Career Center
310-378-8471 Ext. 43618
lewisja@pvpusd.net
Mrs. Teresa Hoffman
Scholarship & Financial Aid Coordinator
310-378-8471 Ext. 43347
hoffmant@pvpusd.net
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CLASS OF 2022 FROM THE PVHSCCC
January 10, 2021
Dear Class of 2022 Sea Kings & Families:
I would like to share the following information from the National Merit Scholarship Program, the organization that selects the National Merit Semifinalists based on the PSAT/NMSQT usually offered fall of Junior year. Palos Verdes High School normally has several students selected based on their very high PSAT scores, as well as students selected for the College Board National Recognition Programs.
We, like thousands of school districts nationwide, were unable to offer the PSAT/NMSQT in October due to Covid-19 restrictions. The alternate date offered by the College Board of January 26, 2021 is currently on schedule. Due to the resurgence in Covid-19 cases, one might reasonably question whether safely administering the test is under review. As of January 19th, the PSAT/NMSQT is still scheduled at PVHS, and any updates will be communicated directly by our PVHS Administration. Please take into consideration this information regarding the Alternate Entry to the 2022 National Merit® Scholarship Program which details the alternate route to possible qualification. It appears that you must apply by April 1st, 2021 and take an SAT by June 2021.
The above information should only be an issue for you if qualifying for National Merit is a strong personal goal. SAT scores are no longer the pillar of college admissions that they used to be, and this will be discussed further in our upcoming series: The College Essentials Toolkit: 2021 Covid Edition.
Two-thirds of all U.S. colleges and universities are test-optional or test-blind for fall 2021 applicants as they recognize the very real barriers to testing. They do not recommend traveling long distances to find a site and will use other materials to evaluate candidates.
Should the current closures continue, colleges that adopted test-optional policies on a temporary basis will either extend them or make them permanent. Just the other day the California State University System announced they will be test blind at least through the 2022-23 admission cycle. The UC System was mandated to be test blind this year, and while currently test optional for the Class of 2022, they might also be mandated (or choose) to continue as test blind… it’s still too early to know.
Keep in mind that most competitive colleges do not offer significant monetary scholarships for National Merit Scholars. The financial benefit has not been a tipping factor in college decisions for the small handful of National Merit Scholars in our PVHS recent history. However, if qualifying for the National Merit Scholarship Program is a priority for you, then you might want to sign up for an SAT administration in early spring of 2021 through www.collegeboard.org with the understanding that testing sites may or may not be able to actually administer the exam.
Looking forward to seeing you very soon.
Mrs. Lewis
Director PVHS College Career Center
PSAT UPDATES 2020/21 & General PSAT Information
PSAT Update for 2020/21
Palos Verdes High School will be offering the PSAT/NMSQT Exam for our 11th grade students only on Tuesday, January 26th, 2021. Though the PSAT/NMSQT is typically offered during the month of October, College Board has allowed schools to offer a January 26th test date in order for 11th grade students to have an opportunity to take the PSAT as well as qualify for the National Merit Scholarship. This is not an exam that is required for any colleges, but is a way to potentially qualify for scholarships if they score in the top 3-5% of test takers. Please remember this exam can only be taken once per school year, so if your student has already taken the exam, then they cannot take it again this school year. We realize this is a school day, so any students that take the exam will have absences excused. Please check back frequently for any updates from our Administration regarding the January 26th test date.
Please contact Gayle Carpenter, Associate Principal, at carpenterg@pvpusd.net if you have additional questions.
A student who does not take the PSAT/NMSQT in October 2020 or January 2021 because of illness, an emergency, or other extenuating circumstance (including school closures), but meets all other requirements for NMSC program participation, may still be able to enter the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program via Alternate Entry.
IMPORTANT: Alternate Entry is only for students who do not take the October 2020 PSAT/NMSQT or January 2021 PSAT/NMSQT.
National Merit Scholarship Program
The National Merit Scholarship Program, conducted by NMSC, is an annual academic competition for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships. Established in 1955, NMSC is a privately financed not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. The competition is open to all U.S. high school students who meet published participation requirements. Approximately 1.5 million high school students enter the program each year.
The 2020 PSAT/NMSQT (offered in October 2020 and January 2021) is the qualifying test for entry to the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. The PSAT™ 10 and PSAT™ 8/9 are NOT used for entry to the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Alternate Entry Requirements
Source: Alternate Entry to the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program
To enter the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program based on your SAT scores in lieu of PSAT/NMSQT scores, you must:
General Entry Requirements
To enter the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program, a student must meet all of the following requirements. A student must:
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be enrolled as a high school student (traditional or homeschooled), progressing normally toward graduation or completion of high school by 2022, and planning to accept admission to college no later than the fall of 2022; |
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attend high school in the United States, District of Columbia, or U.S. commonwealths and territories; or meet the citizenship requirements for students attending high school outside the United States; and |
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take the 2020 PSAT/NMSQT or complete Alternate Entry requirements in the specified year of the high school program and no later than the third year in grades 9 through 12, regardless of grade classification or educational pattern. |
Please refer to the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide for detailed information about the competition.
PSAT/NMSQT Administrations
The PSAT/NMSQT will be offered on four dates during the 2020-2021 academic year. NMSC encourages all schools to provide the PSAT/NMSQT to their students and to homeschooled students in their communities. By doing so, high schools enable students to take advantage of various opportunities made available through the co-sponsorship of the PSAT/NMSQT by NMSC and College Board.
Test Administration Dates for 2020-2021:
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Wednesday, October 14, 2020 |
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Saturday, October 17, 2020 |
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Thursday, October 29, 2020 |
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Tuesday, January 26, 2021 (recently added) |
IMPORTANT: A student may take the PSAT/NMSQT only once per academic year.
Students Who Are Unable to Take the PSAT/NMSQT
A student who does not take the PSAT/NMSQT in October 2020 or January 2021 because of illness, an emergency, or other extenuating circumstance (including school closures), but meets all other requirements for NMSC program participation, may still be able to enter the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program by submitting scores from an administration of the SAT. The student or a school official must visit www.nationalmerit.org/resources after the missed PSAT/NMSQT administration to download information about procedures for Alternate Entry to the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program.
To be considered, a student must complete certain requirements before April 1, 2021.
IMPORTANT: Alternate Entry is only for students who do not take the October 2020 PSAT/NMSQT or January 2021 PSAT/NMSQT. Students who are uncertain about whether they will take the January PSAT/NMSQT are welcome to download and complete Alternate Entry requirements beginning in late October; however, NMSC will not consider a student’s SAT scores for entry to the program if it receives an official PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index score from College Board.
NOTE: The procedure described above for requesting Alternate Entry differs from information that is published in the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide. For the 2022 competition only, students and school officials will be able to download Alternate Entry instructions from NMSC’s website instead of submitting an individual written request to NMSC for approval.
Additional Information
For more details about entry to the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program, please refer to:
Alternate Entry to the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program
National Merit Alternate Entry - Compass Education
PSAT General Information
PSAT scores between 1070 and 1200 are competitive scores that will put you in the top 25% of all test takers.
PSAT scores between 950 and 1060 are above average scores that will put you in the top 50% of test takers.
PSAT scores below 950 are considered below average scores.
ACT - (Palos Verdes High School is currently not a Test Site for the ACT until further notice).
UC will be "test-optional" for fall 2021 and fall 2022. Freshman applicants are not required to submit SAT/ACT test scores.
(As of September 2, 2020, there is a preliminary injunction barring the UC's from considering any test scores... therefore they would be Test-Blind for current seniors in the Class of 2021)
What does "test-optional" mean?
SAT/ACT scores may be used for:
Additional campus-specific information will be available this fall for the fall 2021 application cycle.
Admission to the UC will be "test-blind" for applicants.
What will “test-blind” mean?
SAT/ACT scores may be used for:
About ACT AND SAT testing requirements
CSU campuses use scores from either the ACT or the SAT test to calculate your Eligibility Index for admission, with exception for Fall 2021 & 2022 first-time freshmen admission, which should instead follow information on the First-Time Freshmen Guidance.
SAT/ACT test scores aren’t required to establish the admission eligibility of California residents with a high school grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or above (nonresidents must have a GPA of 3.61 or above). But be aware that impacted campuses and impacted first-time freshmen enrollment categories often include test scores among the supplemental criteria required by all applicants to those campuses and enrollment categories.
The CSU does not use the SAT Writing section or the ACT Writing score to calculate the CSU Eligibility Index.
SAT & SAT Subject Tests - (Palos Verdes High School is currently not an SAT/SAT Subject Test Site until further notice)
UC will be "test-optional" for fall 2021 and fall 2022. Freshman applicants are not required to submit SAT/ACT test scores.
(As of September 2, 2020, there is a preliminary injunction barring the UC's from considering any test scores... therefore they would be Test-Blind for current seniors in the Class of 2021)
What does "test-optional" mean?
SAT/ACT scores may be used for:
Additional campus-specific information will be available this fall for the fall 2021 application cycle, and in spring of 2021 for fall 2022 freshmen.
Admission to the UC will be "test-blind" for applicants.
What will “test-blind” mean?
SAT/ACT scores may be used for:
About ACT AND SAT testing requirements
CSU campuses use scores from either the ACT or the SAT test to calculate your Eligibility Index for admission, with exception for Fall 2021 & Fall 2022 first-time freshmen admission, which should instead follow information on the First-Time Freshmen Guidance.
SAT/ACT test scores aren’t required to establish the admission eligibility of California residents with a high school grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or above (nonresidents must have a GPA of 3.61 or above). But be aware that impacted campuses and impacted first-time freshmen enrollment categories often include test scores among the supplemental criteria required by all applicants to those campuses and enrollment categories.
The CSU does not use the SAT Writing section or the ACT Writing score to calculate the CSU Eligibility Index.
Compass: List of schools that recommend require subject tests.
College & Career Center has current reference copies of test preparation guides, also available for purchase at local bookstores and Amazon.com. Older versions of test prep books have been donated to the Library and are available for check-out.
SAT/ACT 2020 - updates as of January 10, 2021
BREAKING NEWS - JANUARY 19TH - COLLEGE BOARD TO DISCONTINUE SAT SUBJECT TESTS AND ESSAY
As students and colleges adapt to new realities and changes to the college admissions process, College Board is making sure our programs adapt with them. We’re making some changes to reduce demands on students.
We are no longer offering SAT Subject Tests™ in the U.S. Because SAT Subject Tests are used internationally for a wider variety of purposes, we’ll provide two more administrations, in May and June of 2021, for international students.
We’ve reached out to our member colleges and they’ll decide whether and how to consider students’ Subject Test scores. Students should check colleges’ websites for the most up-to-date information on their application policies.
We will also discontinue the optional SAT Essay after the June 2021 administration.
Writing remains essential to college readiness and the SAT will continue to measure writing and editing skills, but there are other ways for students to demonstrate their mastery of essay writing, and the SAT will continue to measure writing throughout the test. The tasks on the SAT Reading and Writing and Language sections are among the most effective and predictive parts of the SAT.
You can find SAT test dates and deadlines here.
Registration for fall 2021 and spring 2022 will open in June 2021.
We’re reducing demands on students. The expanded reach of AP and its widespread availability means the Subject Tests are no longer necessary for students to show what they know.
Students in the U.S. who registered for the May and/or June 2021 Subject Tests will automatically have their registrations canceled and fees refunded. No further action is needed. If you were planning to submit Subject Test scores, check directly with the colleges you plan to apply to for alternative ways to strengthen your applications.
Students outside the U.S. can still take SAT Subject Tests in May and/or June 2021. Check with the colleges you plan to apply to for their SAT Subject Test policy so you can decide whether Subject Test scores will be valuable to you. If you no longer want to take Subject Tests, you can contact Customer Service to cancel your registration and get a refund or change your registration to take the SAT. The best way to contact Customer Service is to call +1-212-713-7789 (international). Customer Service hours are 9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET, Monday–Friday. If you can’t call, email customer service at sat@info.collegeboard.org and be sure to include the following information: test month, test year, first name, last name, full address, date of birth, and name of school.
International SAT and SAT Subject Tests Administration dates and deadlines can be found here.
Subject Tests are used internationally for a wider variety of purposes, such as advanced standing/placement at universities and local credential equivalences for entering colleges and/or as credentials for international students planning to study in some countries.
International administrations are for students who live outside the United States.
We’ve reached out to our member colleges, and they’ll decide whether and how to consider students’ Subject Test scores. Students should check colleges’ websites for the most up-to-date information on their application policies.
Students can continue sending their Subject Test scores.
We’ve continued to enrich and expand access to AP courses, which let students showcase their skills through challenging coursework. Many colleges already use AP course participation and exam score as indicators of a student’s ability and interest in a particular subject area. And colleges also have access to information about student performance in key subject areas through their SAT scores, high school transcript, course selection, and other measures. Check directly with the colleges you plan to apply to for alternative ways to strengthen your applications.
We’re adapting to respond to the changing needs of students and colleges. This change simply streamlines the process for students who have other, more relevant opportunities to show they can write an essay as part of the work they’re already doing on their path to college.
Students can still take the optional SAT with Essay through the June 2021 administration. Check with the colleges you plan to apply to for their SAT Essay policy so you can decide whether taking the optional SAT Essay will be valuable to you. If you no longer want to take the optional Essay portion of your SAT, you can cancel in your online account, with no change fees, until the registration deadline. For information on how to add the Essay to your SAT registration, visit collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register/policies-requirements/changes.
Check with the colleges you’re interested in about their policies. If you take the SAT with Essay, colleges may consider your scores as part of their holistic review process. Students registered for the SAT with Essay can cancel the Essay portion if they choose to.
Update on Test-Optional Institutions as of *October 15, 2020*
The Test and the Art of Thinking - November 14th @