Good night! Waiting on PSAT scores is interminable! It’s electronic people!! Why does it take so long?!
Ok, so maybe I need to calm down. Maybe.
It’s only been about 4 weeks since my #1 son survived the taking of the PSAT. There’s no pressure, you know. Just means College. Or NO college. Right?! No pressure!
It is so sad to me that we work so hard in homeschooling to make it about the education, and not about standardized tests. And yet we have been brought low by the PSAT-NMSQT. We focused on practicing for the test. We feel confident in our test taking abilities. And yet, one bad day could be disastrous.
And so I wait…
And the patience-waiting correlation is in a downward spiral.
So here’s to waiting patiently. And praying for that most awesome of scores. And a bright future for #1 son full of opportunities.
I can do this! I am Super Homeschool MOM! LOL
AND while I wait, I’ve been trying to create new projects and new opportunities, because, well…. That’s how I roll. Have to keep busy, or the above insanity ensues. If you’re in the waiting, what do you do? LMK!
(If you’re in denial about your kids growing up, or maybe you have grand-kids in your near future, be sure to click on the Melissa and Doug affiliate link… There are some super duper cuteness on their page.)
texashach4homeschool 
I took the PSAT starting in like 7th grade. I also got invited to take the SAT my 8th grade year. From then onward, I took either both tests or just the SAT once or twice a year until the end of my junior year, when I also took the SAT II (content tests: History, Science, Advanced Math). The only preparation I did was a small group session with a counselor in like 8th grade to memorize the instructions (they never change) and some practice testing to learn about the odds of guessing verses skipping questions (strategy). Otherwise, I simply walked into the test “blind”. ESPECIALLY, my 10th grade year when they fundamentally changed the structure of the test (removing analogies, adding the writing section, making the test a flipping hour longer). I hadn’t done any special preparation for the SAT II at all; I didn’t know anything about this test until I was told I’d better take it.
My scores were above average, but not off the charts. But, with my GPA, extracurriculars, and I suspect my economic status, I had no trouble getting into my first choice college. Colleges look at more than just test scores when they look at admissions. They want well rounded students who they think will be a good asset to the college’s community of learning. Having a passion for something and being able to express this reasonably well in the essay section will overshadow any bad test score at a respectable university.
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Thank you for your input. We have used College Prep Genius and Princeton Review in preparing. He’s taken the SAT in June the last couple of years. In my heart, I know he was prepared. It’s just waiting to see if the preparation paid off, and if he will get a National Merit Scholar placement. Scholarships are important so that he doesn’t miss out on an opportunity.
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