The preliminary SAT is coming up for students who want to begin to prepare for the official SAT.

Carlmont’s PSAT will be held on Saturday, Oct. 20 from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. in the D and E wings. Students need to bring number two pencils, a graphing calculator, their ID, the PSAT receipt, and a snack for the break.

Although the PSAT is practice for the SAT, there are some key differences between the two. The PSAT has no essay, and is about half the length of the SAT. It is also scored out of 240 instead of 2400.

The PSAT is recommended for sophomores and and juniors. There are many reasons students choose to take the PSAT, one is to see what needs to be improved.

Carlmont sophomore Johanna Hendriksen said, “I’m taking the PSAT because I want to know how and what to study to get a good score on the SAT later.”

The PSAT is also an opportunity to get used to taking such a long test. Some people get nervous or stressed thinking about the SAT, so the PSAT is a good way to calm nerves.

Carlmont junior Carolyn Donohoe took the PSAT last year and said, “When I took the PSAT as a sophomore, it helped relieve stress because I knew it didn’t count.”

Donohoe said, “This year won’t be the first time I’ll take the PSAT, so I’ll have all the little quirks worked out and it’s reassuring I don’t have to worry about those anymore.”

All the work students put in to score well on the PSAT will also help set them up for the SAT.