<p>I didn’t take the PSAT, will I be at a disadvantage when applying to top schools? or does it not matter unless your a finalist?</p>
<p>For the “top” schools it does not matter at all with the exception that some top schools use the PSAT for recruiting. After scores were released , I was inundated with mail. (some from Ivies and places like CalTech, MIT, and Chicago) Doing well on the PSAT just gives you more options.</p>
<p>No school that I know of asks for PSAT, given that by definition is Preliminary SAT (PSAT) and not the final SAT.</p>
<p>A PSAT has two purposes:</p>
<p>1) It is a practice test and helps gauge how ready your are for the SAT
2) It is the basis for awarding the National Merit Scholarship. </p>
<p>There are many students who take the ACT and PLAN and do not take SAT and hence not considered for National Merit. Hence not taking the PSAT will not have any effect on admissions, assuming you do well on the SAT. Many students do well in the SAT without taking the PSAT.</p>
<p>As far as I know, colleges can’t see your PSAT score, so not taking it won’t put you at any disadvantage. The only disadvantage to not taking it would be losing out on the possibility of being a National Merit Semifinalist/Finalist, which would look good to top schools, but that’s not a disadvantage really, more like a lack of a possible advantage. The PSAT also prepares you for the SAT, but you can still do perfectly well, as mazewanderer points out. So, there are advantages to taking the PSAT, but it’s really no big deal if you didn’t take it.</p>