Every fall, high school students across the country sit down for the PSAT/NMSQT, the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. While some parents may see it as “just a practice test,” the PSAT plays a valuable role in helping students become comfortable with standardized testing while also opening doors to scholarships.
At Turning The Tide Tutoring, we’ve seen firsthand how even a little targeted preparation can give students the confidence they need to succeed—not just on the PSAT, but on the SAT and beyond.
Vocabulary, Word Choice, and Precision
One of the key challenges students face on the PSAT is word choice. For example, in a recent session, one student narrowed down a multiple-choice vocabulary question to two options: consume vs. intrigue. The distinction is subtle but important:
- Consume means something that completely takes over your life.
- Intrigue means something that piques your interest.
In another example, he had to choose between accentuate and stress. While both involve emphasis, accentuate means enhancing (like jewelry accentuating an outfit), while stress means strongly emphasizing importance.
These kinds of nuances are where the PSAT challenges students. The test isn’t just about knowing definitions—it’s about recognizing which word best fits the context.
Reading Comprehension vs. Grammar Strengths
Another big shift for students is the difference between the reading and writing/grammar sections.
- In the grammar and writing portion, students focus on fixing sentences, eliminating redundancy, and mastering rules like apostrophe placement. This is often a strong point because the rules are clear. For example:
- Mr. Jones’s car or Mr. Jones’ car (both correct).
- If the car belongs to the whole family, it becomes the Joneses’ car.
- Reading comprehension, however, is a “different animal.” It requires analysis, inference, cultural and world understanding, and the ability to connect evidence from the text to conclusions. Many students find inference questions especially challenging, but this is also one of the most important skills they’ll carry with them into higher-level academics.
Building Vocabulary Through Reading
Strong reading habits directly translate into PSAT success. When one student encountered the word perturbed (meaning anxious or bothered) on a practice question, he was stumped—not because he couldn’t understand the passage, but because he hadn’t yet encountered that word in his reading.
This is why we recommend students challenge themselves with books that stretch their vocabulary. A book that feels too easy may not be preparing them for the academic rigor of the PSAT, SAT, and eventually college-level work.
Math Matters, Too
Of course, PSAT prep isn’t just about reading and writing. Parents often ask whether they should invest in extra math practice books or tutors. Our approach at Turning The Tide Tutoring is to start with a structured program like Prepmedians, which breaks math practice down into easy, medium, and hard levels that mirror the exact questions students will see on the SAT. This way, students build confidence before tackling more advanced material.
And when they’re ready, we connect them with specialized math tutors to make sure they’re not just practicing, but truly mastering the concepts.
Should Your Child Take the PSAT, Even Without Prep?
Parents sometimes wonder whether their student should skip the PSAT if they haven’t prepared. Our answer is simple: take it.
The PSAT is only given once per year in October, and there’s no penalty for taking it. Even without practice, the experience of sitting through the test, learning the timing, and understanding the format is invaluable. It can only help, never hurt.
Final Thoughts
The PSAT is more than just a practice run for the SAT—it’s an opportunity for students to grow their vocabulary, sharpen their reading comprehension, and practice applying grammar rules with precision. It’s also a chance to identify strengths and areas for improvement early on, before the stakes of the SAT come into play.
At Turning The Tide Tutoring, our tutors work with students not just on content, but on confidence. We provide feedback that helps them understand why an answer is correct or incorrect, and we encourage them to think critically about the choices they make.
If your child is preparing for the PSAT—or if you’d like to give them a head start on SAT prep—we’d love to help. Reach out to us at Turning The Tide Tutoring and let’s get started.