On Oct. 16, freshmen will take the PLAN test while sophomores and juniors will take the PSAT test in their assigned testing rooms from 7:50 to 11:03 a.m. According to Assistant Principal Brad Sever, all freshmen will take the PLAN test this year, as opposed to only those who chose to take it last year.

“A vast majority of the freshmen took it last year, and we thought it was a good preparatory  opportunity to help  prepare those freshmen for future standardized tests that they will need to take to get into college,” Sever said.

In preparation for the PSAT test, junior Tori Van Buren said she has been taking an English enhancement class since summer. One of her goals this year is to get closer to a National Merit Semifinalist cut-off score, which was 215 last year. To reach that target score, she said, would allow her to qualify for many scholarship opportunities.

“By preparing a lot for the PSAT, it’ll make the SAT a lot easier, and I’m taking that the first time this winter. Now after using the books and taking the class, I’ve actually learned a lot of (vocabulary) so it is a lot easier now than it was before and I feel like I’ll do much better,” she said.

According to College Board, the National Merit cut-off score increased from 211 to 215 in the past two years. While this change may seem daunting at first, Sever said he knows CHS students can rise up to this challenge and do just as well.

“It’s hard to say in words how amazing Carmel High School is; we have over 40 National Merit Semifinalists and knowing that out of the vast number of students that take that test nationwide, the fact that the past several years we’ve had 40 semifinalists, I think it just speaks very highly of our students and of our teachers and of our school and of our community,” Sever said. “This might impact things a little bit, but I still believe Carmel High School will have a very strong representation among schools who have National Merit Semifinalists.”

With just a few days left before testing, Sever said he encourages students to do their best and worry more about getting a good night’s rest than cramming in last-minute facts.

“I just hope that PSAT day is a good opportunity for our students to shine on those standardized tests. We work really hard to create a good environment for everyone and just hope that students get a good night’s sleep before, eat a good breakfast and come to school ready to perform well and meet their potential.”