Every year millions of students throughout the country take on the challenge of the PSAT/NMSQT. Sophomores and juniors here took the test on Wednesday.

The PSAT/NMSQT gives students an insight of what the SAT will look like. Many students take it as a practice to see what their score would be if they were to have taken the SAT.  Other students take it because it is a competition among high school students for recognition and college scholarships.

“It is a good way to know where ones at,” sophomore Luis Porras said. “Now I know what I need to improve for the next time I take the test.”

Students who plan on attending a four year university or a higher education are recommended to take the test because it is very similar to the SAT. The test will prepare them for the test they are required to take if they want to attend a university.

“It was very hard,” sophomore Hector Dominguez said. “I wish I would’ve prepared for it; however, now I know what to expect for the SAT.”

The test has four different sections: Reading, English, and Math both with and without a calculator. The test gives students limited time to answer the questions.

“The most challenging thing about the test is that we had to keep up with time,” sophomore Marybeth Helmcamp said. “Besides that, It wasn’t so bad.”

Students all had different opinions of the test’s difficulty. Some thought that it was very hard while others thought it was easy.

“It was easy,” sophomore Alonso Dominguez said. “It was over the material we’ve covered in school; however, there were some trick questions,”

If students score high enough, they can be rewarded with many different scholarships from corporations and universities. Every year 8,700 scholarships are offered to students from all over the country.

“Before taking the test, they informed us about all the scholarships that are offered if we score high enough,” sophomore Melanie McGill said. “I was motivated to try my best and shoot for a high score.”

Students say that even though they do not like taking test, they know that this test is important because it takes them one step closer to the actual test that matters. They’ve also said that if the SAT is just like the test they took then they are prepared to take it.

“Taking test isn’t my favorite thing to do, especially those that take hours to complete,” sophomore Makayla Gilliam said. “However, I know that taking it is a very part of my education.”