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 confidence, 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.”