Each year, schools from across the country register for the PSAT/NMSQUT to introduce students to standardized testing, according to the College Board. On Oct. 15, Archer sophomores and juniors took this condensed version of the SAT, also known as the PSAT.

According to Samantha Coyne-Donnel, Archer’s Upper School Director, taking the PSAT has been beneficial for Archer students because “it helps students acquire a sense of what concepts and skills they need to practice before the SAT and what components of the exam they excelled in.”

Coyne continued on why the administration chose to implement the PSAT at Archer: “The PSAT is an opportunity for students to gain some practice with standardized testing because standardized testing, is in most cases, a part of the college process.”

For sophomores, “the PSAT serves as an early diagnostic as well as a practice opportunity,” said Coyne.

Select juniors who score within the 97 percentile qualify for National Merit Scholarship eligibility, according to the College Board. This year, Archer seniors Casey Abrahams ’15 and Maria Gelabert ’15 were praised as commended students.

According to the SAT website, “more than two-thirds (about 34,000) of the approximately 50,000 high scorers on the PSAT/NMSQUT receive Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise.”

“The money itself [given to the recipient of the award] is not substantial, but I would say the recognition certainly is. Having that on your college application can certainly boost an applicant’s desirability,” Coyne said.

Abrahams said about her commendation: “It was very unexpected because when I took the test, I didn’t feel like I did well. I actually took the ACT instead of the SAT, so doing well on the PSAT was surprising, but I felt very happy. ”