Q: I’ve heard that the PSAT is a lot of work, and in the end, only a few people get National Merit Scholarship money. Should I bother taking it?

A: It is true that many National Merit finalists win only a small stipend. And it is also true that preparing for the test can be lot of work. However, whether you become a finalist or not, here are five important reasons to take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

It lets you gain first-hand experience for the SAT
The PSAT/NMSQT measures your verbal reasoning, critical reading, math problem-solving and writing skills. The test, most commonly referred to as the PSAT, helps prepare students for both the SAT I and the SAT II writing test. It is offered to high school sophomores and juniors every October.

According to Elaine Detweiler, director of public information for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in Evanston, Ill., more than 2 million high school sophomores and juniors took the PSAT/NMSQT in October 2002. Of those, 1.3 million juniors were entered into the competition.

Daniel Chavas, a 2003 graduate from Edgewood High School in Madison, Wis., asserts that “the PSAT did help prepare me for the SAT. I thought the PSAT was much more difficult, so that during the SAT, I felt much more confident as I went along. Also it gave me a better idea of the styles and types of questions asked.”

It builds your testing confidence
Confidence is a big issue in test taking. Studies have shown that students who have more self-confidence when taking the test are less likely to make careless or anxiety-driven errors. The result? Higher scores.

“Taking the PSAT and doing well on it gave me a lot of confidence for the SAT,” says Margaret Ruth Gurewitz, a recent graduate of Lincoln High School in Nebraska. “If you are calm and take the test with con-fidence, you will do much better than if you take it with nervous jitters.”

You can receive feedback
“Approximately six to eight weeks after taking the October test, students receive their scores with a printout of the answers and a list of specific areas they need to work on,” says Vicki Kleinman, college/career liaison at Lynbrook High School in San Jose, Calif. “We also give back test booklets—just ask for them—so that students can use them for study.”

A big advantage of the PSAT is the score report, which identifies your strengths and weaknesses and gives you a chance to hone your test skills. Unfortunately, most students merely glance at their scores and do not study the feedback and the test booklet.

It lets you introduce yourself to colleges
Detweiler advises students to mark “yes” to Student Search Service, a bubble on the PSAT answer sheet. This simple mark will enable colleges to contact you.

“Soon after the PSAT, I started getting letters from lots of small private schools. The letters included a card of interest. When I sent those cards out, the schools started sending me more information, sometimes as much as three items a day,” says Jimmy Abraham, a senior at Falls Church (Va.) High School.

You can win scholarships
In 2002, “there were 16,000 semifinalists, and 90 percent of these candidates advanced to become finalists,” says Detweiler about the National Merit Scholarships. About half of all finalists receive awards.

More than 550 colleges and businesses sponsor the National Merit awards. The amount of money awarded varies, although the average scholarship is $2,500. Colleges offer additional scholarships and grants to both semifinalists and students with solid grades and test scores.

After filling out an unsolicited application (with registration fee waived), Kamara Colson, a 2003 grad of Homestead High School in Cupertino, Calif., received a phone call from the school’s admission officer. “They were offering me a scholarship, and I hadn’t even said I’d go to their school. With a second phone call, they offered me more money. I really had to think about that one.”

Take the plunge, and take the PSAT!

Word challenge
The following bold-faced words appear in this column. Try matching the words to their meanings.

1. asserts

2. hone

3. liaison

4. stipend

5. waived

a. To perfect or sharpen

b. Relinquished or dispensed with

c. To state positively

d. A fixed sum of money

e. Contact or connection