Missed PSAT registration deadline (9/13/24) - any backup options for October test?

deep brerath. the PSAT is almost always administered through schools, not individuals registering. Your daughter's school probably already registered her if she's a junior. Have her check with classmates if they've heard anything about the PSAT dates at school.

I work as a college advisor and can clarify a few things: 1. The PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) is almost exclusively administered through high schools. Students don't typically register individually. 2. There are actually three test dates for the October 2024 PSAT/NMSQT: Primary test date (Oct 16), Saturday test date (Oct 19), and alternate test date (Oct 30). 3. If your daughter's school is administering the test, they should have automatically registered juniors. Some schools require students to sign up internally, but that's separate from College Board registration. 4. Only PSAT/NMSQT scores from junior year qualify for National Merit consideration. Regular SAT scores cannot substitute. 5. If there was a registration issue, her counselor should be able to add her to the school's roster - even after the technical deadline - as schools often order extra tests. I'd recommend contacting the school's main office or testing coordinator immediately rather than waiting for the counselor's return.

Coming from someone who just went through this mess last year with my son - CALL THE SCHOOL ASAP!!! Don't email, don't wait. My son almost missed it because of confusion between counselors. Schools can usually add students even after the "deadline" because they order extra tests. Also, National Merit is ONLY from the PSAT taken junior year, so don't miss this!!!

psat is always at school. my kid took it last year and all juniors automatically got registered. relax

The 9/13 date is actually for schools to submit their registration count to College Board, not for individual students! That said, SOME schools do have their own internal deadlines for students to sign up. When I worked in the guidance office, we always ordered extra tests for last-minute situations. Your child likely isn't "unregistered" - the school just needs to know they plan to take it.

One thing to be aware of: if your student has accommodations (extra time, etc.), those need to be approved well in advance. If that's the case, make sure to mention it immediately when you contact the school. Also, assuming your daughter is registered, make sure she prepares! The PSAT format is different from regular classwork. The College Board website has free official practice tests that are extremely helpful.

I went through HELL last year trying to reach someone at College Board about PSAT registration. Kept getting disconnected or waiting on hold for hours. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with an actual person quickly. They have a demo video if you want to see how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ That said, the College Board rep told me exactly what others here have mentioned - that schools handle PSAT registration, not individual students. So definitely check with your school first. In my case, my son was already registered through his school and I was panicking for nothing!

BTW if your kid somehow does miss the PSAT this year, its super sad for national merit but honestly there are WAYYY more scholarships out there. plent of merit scholarships from colleges that use regular SAT/ACT. dont put all eggs in 1 basket

UPDATE: Just got off the phone with the school's testing coordinator. She IS registered!!! Apparently all juniors at her school are automatically signed up. They're taking it on October 16th. Thank you everyone for the reassurance and advice! Now I'll focus on making sure she's prepared - getting those practice tests ASAP.

Congratulations on getting that resolved! What a relief that must be. Since you have some time to prepare now, I'd also recommend having your daughter take a full-length practice test under timed conditions to get a baseline score. This will help identify which areas need the most focus. The official College Board practice tests are free and the closest thing to the actual test format. Also, make sure she gets a good night's sleep before the test - I've seen too many students sabotage themselves by staying up late cramming the night before. Best of luck to her!

So glad you got this sorted out! As someone who went through the National Merit process with my daughter a few years ago, I just wanted to add that prep really does make a difference. Beyond the practice tests everyone mentioned, consider having her focus on vocabulary - the reading section can trip up even strong students with unfamiliar words. Also, if she's aiming for National Merit, she'll need to score in roughly the top 1% for your state (the cutoff varies by state each year). Don't stress too much about the exact number though - just have her do her best! The experience of taking the PSAT will also help her when she takes the actual SAT later.