Tutors are fully booked, College Board books are flying off the shelves and SAT practice tests are buzzing with activity. SAT season has arrived, causing the class of ’25 to go frantic over studying. However, the month of standardized tests is not only for juniors but also for the underclassmen. The PSAT, though optional, is getting significant attention through announcements and reminders flooding freshmen, sophomores and their parents. 

On March 13, freshmen are expected to take the test, and the sophomores took the test on March 6. Underclassmen are recommended to arrive at 8 a.m. to complete the 3 hour test. While the repeated emphasis on the PSAT might imply it is equally important to the SAT, not all freshmen and sophomores share this belief.

“When I was in freshman year I thought the PSAT was more important because it was my first year here,” Suzy Monaghan ’26 said.  “But this year I kinda just realized it’s just a practice and I didn’t really need it.” 

In addition to the test being optional and taken purely for practice, the 3-hour time commitment required appears to be a primary factor in underclassmen’s reluctance to prioritize it.

“It’s too much time just sitting in a room taking one test, just for it to be a practice you know?” Charlie Hannon ’27 said.

However, most underclassmen choose to take the practice. 

“I think it’s worth knowing how it works,” Phoebe Rosenberg ’27 said. “To have an idea as a freshman so that you’ll be better equipped to handle it and just have more experience with it.” 

 The practice test can also serve as a wake-up call, prompting students to adopt more proactive study habits.

“I guess it’s good to know that if I didn’t study for [the PSAT] and did bad, I’m gonna do bad on the SAT,” JC Gura ’26 said. “So now I know that I actually have to prepare for it so I don’t do terrible on the SAT.”