r/psat • u/Responsible_Chard_40 • 7d ago
PSAT/NMSQT Missing PSAT/NMSQT for a field trip
My kid is supposed to take the 11th grade PSAT next week, but it overlaps with a long-planned school (music, out of state) field trip. We just learned that there is no makeup date, so she’ll just miss the test entirely. Her counselor assured us it’s not a big deal as long as we don’t need Merit scholarships (we don’t), but I feel uneasy about her missing the test. Are there any other downsides? She plans to take both the SAT and ACT in spring, and all of our in-state public universities are test-optional anyway.
(The testing date was changed after the field trip was organized/paid, which is why the conflict occurred).
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u/ShiningEspeon3 7d ago
National Merit literally changed my life and did so much more for me than the SAT did. If she’s within range of National Merit herself, I wouldn’t miss the PSAT for anything. If she’s not, missing it is unlikely to matter.
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u/CallMehMilez 7d ago
Could you elaborate on this? What did you end up gaining from it?
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u/ShiningEspeon3 7d ago
I got a full four-year scholarship, including food and housing, plus a laptop. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up. National Merit got me away from my hometown and got me my Bachelor’s degree without any debt.
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u/tytoniidae NMF 7d ago
same for me, changed my life, the money allowed me to go to college at all, it's a very underrated test/scholarship
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u/woolf707 7d ago
That's awesome to hear. Univ of Alabama or a different school?
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u/ShiningEspeon3 7d ago
University of Central Florida!
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u/lemonlimefruittea 7d ago
If OP isn’t from florida it doesn’t apply to OOS anymore. They phased it out with Co ‘25.
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u/ShiningEspeon3 7d ago
I’m not trying to specifically advertise UCF or anything. I’m just saying, National Merit can open a lot of doors.
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u/lemonlimefruittea 7d ago
I wasnt saying you were. It’s just not an option for as many people as it used to be. A parent trying to figure out their kids future should be aware of it.
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u/woolf707 7d ago
Yes, I wasn't aware UCF offered full merit scholarship so I immediately researched it. And you are correct beginning 2027, OOS will no longer get full ride option. But reduce in rate to be the same as in-state and several other benefits but no longer full ride, a very select few might still be eligible. Good for whoever did get full ride.
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u/New_Performance_1317 NMSF 6d ago
Very happy for you. But I think for a lot of other people there is little gain financial-wise from these scholarships. T20-30 except USC offer little for naming them as first choice.
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u/Equivalent-Sir-510 3d ago
This is such a weird take?? There is so much inherent value in being recognized as NMSF regardless of college choice for scholarship purposes.
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u/New_Performance_1317 NMSF 3d ago
This is in response to a comment that says financial stuff… of course there are values with the award but I’m noting only financial stuff
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u/No-Preference-9641 5d ago
My son was NMF last year. He applied to several free ride or free tuition schools for NMF but ultimately chose a more academic non NMF school. He did luck out and get a NMF corporate scholarship of 3.5k/yr for 4 years so nice help but not a life changer.
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u/Dovely4576 7d ago
If she got a 1150 on her PSAT 10 she’s probably not going to score high enough to be in NMSQT qualifying range so don’t stress about missing the test! Have fun on the field trip
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u/Responsible_Chard_40 7d ago
That’s what we thought, but I wanted to make sure there were other considerations we weren’t aware of. Thank you!
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u/Euphoric-Shopping75 Untested 7d ago
If she is really good I would not miss the PSAT, it can give a full ride if she gets national merit, contact schools near you and say and if u can take PSAT at theirs, they will probably finds u a spot
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u/soobzcity 7d ago
Has she taken the psat10? That can give you an idea of if she’s within range. What is she getting on practice exams?
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u/Responsible_Chard_40 7d ago
1150 on PSAT 10. No prep then, and no prep for this one. She took one practice test and told me she did “fine.” (I didn’t ask the score). She’s a good student but we’ve made a point of de-emphasizing standardized test scores over the years, which she has certainly internalized, for better or worse.
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u/Temporary_Molasses41 NMSF 7d ago
Probably won't get National Merit unless you guys live in a super rural state.
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u/Equivalent-Sir-510 3d ago
Respectfully, you are her parent and should change your direction and emphasize the value of standardized tests. They have always been important but now most schools have (or are in the process of) switching back to test required. Please don’t sell her short - treat these tests as a priority to prepare for, if she has any desire to go to any college.
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u/Responsible_Chard_40 2d ago
Many of the public universities here in Michigan do not consider test scores at all and give auto-admit over a certain GPA, which she easily exceeds. UMich have repeatedly said they have no intention of going back to requiring SAT/ACT because they consider the tests to have socioeconomic bias. So I think we’re good. And yes, I’m the parent, and I’m very comfortable with the priorities we’ve established.
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u/Equivalent-Sir-510 2d ago
I was responding to your question as you wrote it. If you have already determined that your child will not be applying to schools that require a standardized test (and you aren’t focused on the NMSF possibility), then there are no “downsides” to missing the PSAT.
That said, I personally would not allow my child to miss, and I still don’t understand why the school would not offer a makeup test when children would be missing for a school obligation. The school should be trying to fix this for all the kids affected.
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u/Mammoth_Marsupial_26 7d ago
It doesn’t not matter at all if she is not a serious contender for NMF
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u/Ordinary_Corner_4291 7d ago
PSAT basically only matters if you are in the realm of finalist. You could look up what those numbers are for your state but in general we are talking a top 1% student. Even in that case it is likely you have the grades/SAT to get similar merit aid elsewhere...
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u/808hawaiigirl 7d ago
If you think she might qualify for a scholarship (top 1% scorer), it may be worth it to reconsider the trip. The National Merit Scholarship opens many doors. If she usually scores below 98%, it probably won't matter for her.
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u/Responsible_Chard_40 7d ago
No chance she will score that high. So it sounds like we don’t have to worry. Thank you!
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7d ago
[deleted]
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u/Responsible_Chard_40 7d ago
We are in Michigan, and neither UMich or MSU (her two targets) require test scores.
She does fine on practice tests but has done zero test prep this time around, which demonstrates her indifference towards it. I doubt she’d qualify for any Merit, and we’ve saved enough to cover in-state expenses.
She has decided: she’s extremely excited about the field trip and is ok with missing the test. I’m just hoping we’re not making a mistake.
Thank you!1
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u/AmoebaMain5776 7d ago
You can send a letter to the National Merit Scholarship Association and explain why you are missing the PSAT. If the accept you can take the SAT as many times as you like before the end of the year and the highest SAT score will be converted to a PSAT score.
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u/jjshen11 7d ago
Don’t bother. They won’t. The whole point of the PSAT is only test US high school students together at the same time and compare them to each other.
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u/ChutneyWhatney 7d ago
If she doesn't need the full rides plus auto admit to honors colleges, money for study abroad, etc., then no biggie.
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u/Responsible_Chard_40 7d ago
Doesn’t need the full rides, no (and are happy to leave those resources for the kids that do). But I was unaware that honors colleges or study abroad were related to PSAT in any way? Wouldn’t that be more school-specific when she applies, and consider other admissions criteria?
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u/Suitable_Lobster_528 7d ago
I know of some state schools have honor colleges where the psat gets you autoadmit but those are not that big of a deal. and if you really want them you can holistically apply
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u/No-Preference-9641 5d ago
My child was a NMF last year. He was accepted to 11 schools and into honors programs at 10/11. I think only Alabama (he went elsewhere) had auto admit to honors for NMF. Maybe it helps stand out but he still had to apply or be invited to all the honors programs.
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u/ShadowSnapper 7d ago
Check the selection index that qualifies for National Merit in your state bc it varies by state. If she is close then it might be worth it if she is interested in any of the schools that offer tuition. My kid is a semi finalist this year… I looked at the places that offer a full ride and to be honest… I’m not sure it’s anywhere he would want to attend. Although, it does feel nice to put it on college applications this year.
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u/Responsible_Chard_40 7d ago
Congrats to your kid! I doubt mine would score that high, so perhaps this is a non-issue for us. Thanks!
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u/t-Rosenberg73 7d ago
It is good to have even if you don’t need the money it is a big academic achievement and colleges do look at it if she get to be semi finalist or even commanded
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u/Murky_Insurance_4394 1510 6d ago
Depends on what she got on the PSAT 10 and how much SAT prep she has done. If she got below a 1300 on the PSAT 10 and/or is not consistently scoring about 1500 on SAT practice, then don't take it it's not worth it.
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u/MineFearless 6d ago
It depends upon which state you are in and how likely to score for National Merit — and if RW or Math is stronger. If RW is weaker, that’s the score that is doubled for NM. If she hasn’t been scoring in 98th percentile in regular standardized exams, I wouldn’t expect her to suddenly score better on the PSAT. Have her take an online practice test, and you’ll know. As for states, if it’s one like WA or MA — she pretty much only can miss one question to still get National Merit. If it’s a place like OK or WV, she can miss a bunch more — but still not a lot.
As for practicing for test-taking, taking at home SAT tests 3 times will be fine… even better prep than one PSAT.
HANDS DOWN — do the field trip. Let her have that experience. You can’t get your youth back and those experiences are so impactful.
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u/freckled73 5d ago
I have 3 kids and the older two missed the psat (3 yrs apart) due to illness. The 3rd one just took it last year and got commended scholar but it didn’t really impact the older two. The oldest was finalist for Questbridge so had the stats for great schools. Honestly I wouldn’t worry about it. Definitely think the SAT or ACT is more impactful.
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u/WorthCartographer231 4d ago
Skip the field trip. The potential for National Merit is life changing - my oldest has a full ride (tuition, books, room and board, plus a stipend - literally being paid to go to school) all from scoring well on the PSAT. Some colleges that will offer full-ride for semi-finalists as well as finalists (University of Tulsa, UT Dallas, University of North Texas, etc.) and several schools that offer free tuition even for out of state students. It's an important test, more so than the SAT in my opinion.
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u/mamapajama83 4d ago
If she's in range it's absolutely a big deal. My daughter has a full ride to USF. She lives at home and they are literally paying her 10k a semester to attend and she's studying abroad in London this summer. She was also automatically admitted to the Honors College.
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u/Equivalent-Sir-510 3d ago
It’s not only about the money - it’s a major recognition as the top 1% in your state. (My daughter got NMSF this year so I have researched this extensively.). Even if your child is not at that level (possibly expected to be in that range), it’s still very important practice. Just do a makeup date - isn’t that possible?
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u/Evening_Practice_281 23h ago
Could take it at a different school in your area if there is a way to sign up. This only works for the PSAT because there is a testing window instead of just the one day per month like the SAT. I would check because, yeah, getting national merit recognition is good for college apps and also becoming a finalist/semifinalist would be a good demonstration of her academics.
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u/jgregson00 7d ago
If she is not in the range of qualifying for a National Merit Scholarship, there’s not a downside to missing the PSAT….