So I heard from a friend who said seniors can't take the PSAT, and I'm a bit confused. Aren't all high school students allowed to take it? Does it have something to do with the National Merit Scholarship? Could someone clarify, please?
Your friend is right—the PSAT is generally not available for seniors, only sophomores and juniors. The main purpose of the PSAT for sophomores is just to get an initial feel for the SAT format, while for juniors, the point is to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program. By the time you're a senior, the semifinalists have already been named, so that opportunity has passed. You should instead be focusing on the SAT or ACT for college admissions purposes, and for other scholarship opportunities out there.
Basically, seniors are just past the point where the PSAT would be relevant to them. Remember, colleges don't even see your PSAT score, so by the time you're a senior, you want to be focusing on materials that will actually make it into your application. I hope this clears things up for you!
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