OIS “Aces” the 2016 PSAT

Students and parents today are much more anxious of standardized test scores and the college admissions process than when I was in high school 30 years ago. I think part of it is that with the globalization of the economy and rise of the internet, it is a much more competitive job market which makes families concerned about their children’s future success. Based on the recent results of our OIS high school students, OIS parents can rest assured that their children are on track for university and career success.

The faculty and students are analyzing the scores of the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT). Students in grades 10 and 11 completed the exam in October and the scores came back to us earlier this month. Half of the 24 OIS students who took the test scored at or above the 90th percentile. 2/3 of the students scored above the 80th percentile. A score above the 90th percentile means a student score higher than 90% of the students in his/her grade that took the test.

The PSAT is used to prepare students for the SAT, which many universities in North America and throughout the world use for determining admission. It is an accurate predictor of what the student will score on the SAT and it also gives the strengths and weaknesses of students on the test. We highly recommend students to do extra preparation for the SAT. Counselor Melissa Lamug and our testing coordinator, John Van Plantinga can give students guidance in this area and are working with them to understand their score reports.

This is the second year of the revised SAT and PSAT. The ACT has surpassed the SAT as the most popular admissions test. College Board, the publishers of the SAT reacted to this by making its test more like the ACT. OIS is a testing center for both the SAT and ACT and offers the test throughout the year for our students. We host the SAT 6 times per year in October, November, December, January, May and June. We host the ACT 4 times per year, in September, October, December and April.

Three grade 11 OIS students scored in the 99th percentile of the exam. Congratulations to Kaya Friese, Mark Yamamoto and Nicole Yoo! (pictured below)  American citizens scoring that high are eligible for the National Merit Scholarship.