I’m sure the PSAT is used for NMS because every junior takes it on the same day. Same test, same time etc makes it much easier than trying to deal with multiple sittings of SAT or ACT or whatever.
The PSAT of the 70s was also used to determine Merit Scholars. My brother (HS '75) was a merit scholar and received either $500 or $1000 at the time but no one prepped for the PSAT at that time. There were SAT prep classes.
I took the PSAT in 1979 and prepped for it with the same sort of fat books still sold today. I worked at the college bookstore and happened to randomly see the book so I bought it and reviewed over the summer. My parents didn’t know anything about it. I was NM Commended.
In the 80’s we had SAT prep, but nobody bothered to prep for the PSAT (we knew what it was, and knew it was now to qualify for National Merit, but it just wasn’t something you prepped for). That said, I find it amusing seeing the posts about the changes to the scoring, both with the SAT going back to a 1600 point test, and the PSAT score vs. NM selection index. I’ve seen so many posts claiming the score has always been the same as the selection index, but that’s just not true. in the 80’s the PSAT had 2 sections worth 20-80 points each, for a total of 160 (add a trailing 10 to get your projected SAT score). The selection index was simply double the English score, plus the Math score. If you look carefully at the way the new selection index is calculated, it’s exactly the same. You total English score is the Reading and Writing subscores while the Math score is the math subscore doubled. The Selection index (double all 3 scores) is the same as the 1980’s selection index - double the English score (2 reading + 2 writing), plus the math score (which was already doubled). Since the score range of the test of 10th and 11th graders is 4 points lower per test, the selection index should be about 12 points lower.
I thought you only got one shot at the PSAT and everyone takes pretty much at the same time? If based on SAT then wealthier students could keep taking til they qualified.
Many schools also have 10th graders take the PSAT. It doesn’t count for NMF, but gives them some practice prior to the 11th grade year. And gives them an idea if they have a shot at NMF. My D2 didn’t study for the 10th grade one, and was one point under our state’s NMF cutoff. It made it clear a bit of studying would be a good idea the next year, and she cleared the NMF cutoff by 20 points in our state in 11th grade.
I went to a prep school and I didn’t know ANYONE who studied for the PSAT, SAT or ACT (we took all). We took each ONE time. For the SAT and ACT, I cheered the night before, partied after, crawled out of bed the next morning and stumbled into the testing room with two #2 pencils.
I graduated from HS in 1974 - I took the ACT and the SAT each one time, but got little GC advising. GC were busy with students with person/family problems and the ones who had opportunities that needed more hand holding. Applied to one college, a private, that my parents wanted me to attend because they had a very good nursing program and did not cut students after freshman year like the public college in-state programs did. Back then, the difference between public and private tuition was not much ($600/semester and $1200/semester), and because there were 3 of us in college (two at private school), WI had a tuition grant - dad’s income was cut in half with two in private college, and sibling and I each received the grant ($1,000/year) that took my private tuition down to the public level. Graduated in 8 semesters with a double major - not something that would have been possible with nursing at the public schools. Glad my dad found out about the school/program from a friend; it was a great college experience, coming from a HS that didn’t prepare me all around - the private school was more attentive to each students’ educational needs.