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Hanover High School PSAT Update 10/15/20

Posted on: October 15, 2020 - 1:18pm

I hope this week is moving along nicely for you, and everyone is taking care to be well and to be safe. 

I want to follow up on the opportunities we’re providing for Hanover students to access the preliminary SAT (PSAT).  Earlier this year, we made a carefully considered choice to offer the PSAT to both 10th and 11th grades in January, as opposed to our traditional mid-October administration (Currently, details for a 10th-grade future administration are being arranged and are forthcoming).  Regarding 11th grade, we considered numerous questions in this decision to move to January:

  • Will students perform better in January than October, since they’d have more time in class prior to the assessment? 
  • Are students eligible for the National Merit Scholarship regardless of the exam date? 
  • Does taking the October PSAT or taking the January PSAT better prepare students for the SAT in March and May? 
  • Will an October assessment impede our collective priority to open a hybrid school successfully and safely?
  • Are we better prepared (in terms of safety and organization) to offer a January assessment?

These questions – and several others – guided our thinking to move the PSAT to January; nevertheless, we’re aware that some students and families prefer an October test date.

To that end, Hanover High School will be offering two opportunities for current juniors (Class of 2022) to take the PSAT.  The first offering will be held on Thursday, October 29th and the second on Tuesday, January 26th. 

Regardless of student cohort, registration will be open to any junior interested in taking the preliminary SAT.  It’s helpful to know that both the October and January tests have the same format, but use different questions; furthermore, you’ll be glad to know that all juniors participating in either exam administration will be eligible for the National Merit Scholarship Program.  Given our current health crisis, however, we are not mandating students take the PSAT; instead, the assessments this year are completely voluntary.  In order to take the exam, students must register for one of the test dates below (Please Note: College Board regulations require that students only participate in one of the exams, not both).

The cost of the PSAT is $17.00 per student.  This fee can be paid using the following link:  https://unipaygold.unibank.com/default.aspx

If you would like to request a fee waiver, please indicate your request on the registration form. 

That’s it for now.  Be well.  Be safe. 

Matthew Paquette
Principal