Optional PSAT/NMSQT Testing opportunity for Sophomores

Hello Sophomores and Families,

We would like to invite sophomores who are interested in Dual Credit through Elgin Community College, or dual credit courses at your high school the opportunity to take the PSAT at your high school on Wednesday, October 21st.

Students can register online to take the PSAT/NMSQT through our high schools webstore. To register, CLICK HERE . The cost to take the test is $18 with fee waivers available for eligible families. If you are eligible for a fee waiver, the discount will automatically be applied to your order when you check out. The deadline to register for the PSAT/NMSQT is Friday, October 2nd, at 4:00 p.m. Students with accommodations will be able to test with their Collegeboard-approved accommodations. Any student testing with accommodations will need to submit webstore payment by August 28th. Some accommodations may require students to test on a date separate from the 21st. If your student will not be testing on the 21st due to their accommodations, they will be notified and provided an alternate testing date.

Here's why this is a great idea for you:

Meeting Dual Credit Prerequisites with the PSAT/NMSQT

Taking the PSAT/NMSQT now can help you qualify for dual credit courses when you become a junior. Elgin Community College (ECC) uses PSAT/NMSQT scores to determine placement for classes with English and/or math prerequisites. This means you can get a head start on meeting requirements for dual credit.

To meet these requirements, a student must score:

480 or higher on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) section for English prerequisites

530 or higher on the Math section for math prerequisites

Please note that while juniors can also use this test for scholarship opportunities, those benefits will not apply to sophomores. However, your scores will be shared with ECC as needed to confirm you've met the prerequisites for any dual credit courses you apply for. Taking the PSAT/NMSQT as a sophomore is an excellent way to prepare for your junior year and increase your chances of getting into the dual credit courses you want.

Students will be required to have a College Board account in order to take the NMSQT, as per the College Board. Please be sure that your child has created their College Board account with a personal email address that they intend to use post-graduation. The email address will be needed on test day in order to receive digital score reports. Students are encouraged to arrive around 7:30am as the test will begin promptly at 8am. Students who are late or absent will not be able to make up the exam.

If you have additional questions, please contact your child’s School Counselor or visit Collegeboard’s PSAT/NMSQT website for more information or watch this short video. For free SAT digital practice tests, which the College Board uses for PSAT/NMSQT practice as well, click here to access the PSAT information for sophmores.