The PSAT is the preliminary SAT exam that provides high school students with their first real opportunity to get some firsthand practice for the SAT exam required to get into college. The PSAT is also the qualifying exam for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) scholarship programs.

The PSAT Exam measures critical reading, writing, and math problem-solving skills. Normally taken by sophomore and juniors in high school, the trend nowadays is for students as early as 7th and 8th grade to take the exam.

The best way to prepare for the PSAT is to practice, practice, practice. You want to be familiar with not only the routine of standarized testing and the types of questions that will be asked, but you also need to understand how the questions are asked. Standardized tests are designed to be tricky, so one of the tricks to conquering them is being able to parse the format. Answering practice questions and taking practice tests will also show you in what areas you need additional work and also where you are getting bogged down or taking too long to answer.

In addition to two of the books recommended in this Hub, there are many free PSAT practice questions online that you can start working with now before you even settle on a test prep book to purchase. As well as working on practice questions, you should also run through an actual PSAT Practice Test so you understand better what taking the test will actually be like.

While online test prep is helpful, it cannot substitute for actually sitting down with a book and studying it. The best test preparation guides provide practice questions, a variety of practice tests, and tips and information on how to study, how to tackle the exam itself and guidance on how to select study material to help students increase their knowledge in the areas they are weakest.

I recommend that all students, even the strongest, spend preparation time for the PSAT covering all three aspects of the exam -- critical reading, writing and math -- while applying particular attention to the area in which they need the most support. I recommend the two Princeton Review books listed below for comprehensive study. After completing some of the practice tests in the Practice Test book, then you can consider whether an additional book covering one area of the test is necessary as well.

I also strongly recommend not going overboard with a multitude of test prep books. It just isn't necessary. They all serve the same purpose and the primary purpose is to get the student used to the question format. One book used cover to cover will do more good than several test prep guides that are used haphazardly.

The best way to prepare for standardized tests is to practice, and this resource offers you 11 prime opportunities to do just that! 11 Practice Tests for the SAT and PSAT includes:

·10 practice SATs and 1 practice PSAT ·Detailed answer explanations for every question ·Online score reports that allow you to discover your strengths and weaknesses on each test ·An insider's guide to what ETS says is on the test and what they really mean ·Access to optional online essay grading

Cracking the PSAT is published by Princeton Review and like all of their test preparation guides, it provides proven techniques from the test prep experts. The 2008 edition includes 2 full-length practice tests and all the strategies students will need to get higher scores. Plus, all of their practice questions are just like those on the actual PSAT - but with detailed answers and explanations for every question.