By NOAH WOYAK

The Mirror reporter

The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, or PSAT, has been a significant test for students since 1959, and on Oct. 11 the junior class at SPASH will have the opportunity to take it.

The PSAT will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the auditorium. Students must register in the Counseling Office and bring in $20, either in cash or as a check made out to SPASH. The test will last two hours and 45 minutes. Students will be released from the testing area at 11:30 a.m.

The PSAT is almost identical to its counterpart, the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT. However, the PSAT does not require the test taker to write an essay. It has two different segments, one for math and one for reading and writing. Each section is scored on a scale of 160 to 760, so total PSAT score falls in a range from 320 to 1520.

The PSAT can help people enter the National Merit Program, a competition that students get recognition and scholarships from different universities. Students will be able to move onto the semifinals of the competition if they score high enough on the PSAT. After that, they will take the SAT in order to see if they make it to finals or not.