Lawrence High seniors Marcus Souders and Owen Ackley were named National Merit Semifinalists this year, which puts them in elite company with the best students around the country. Both students encouraged healthy competition amongst one another resulting in high test scores and the prestige that comes with such a title.
As students who plan on attending college, the PSAT presented an opportunity for Souders and Ackley to display their academic capabilities, taking the studying process seriously.
“Reading was definitely the hardest part,” Souders said. “I got a [prep] book which definitely helped me learn the process of each question.”
This idea was a prevalent factor for Souders as he prepared for the test. Noticing the patterns and the way questions are phrased certainly plays a role in how well one may perform on the test.
“They can be long tests,” Souders said. “I think learning the system with the SAT, [and] the College Board trying to trick you.”
Seniors Kaelyn Mcclorey and Jack Tell also scored highly on the PSAT, receiving the Commended Student award for their achievements. In addition, Senior Myles Gragg and junior Sylvia Oparaji were named National African American Recognition Program Scholars.
“It was pretty special,” Mcclorey said. “It made me proud of my work and what I did.”
Gifted coordinator at Lawrence High Emily Beecham agreed, explaining that tests like the PSAT are not necessarily based on how much you study, but rather one’s ability to process information in the way a standardized test is looking for.
“You have to be in the top one percent of students who take the PSAT their junior year. And that’s a really hard thing to do,” Beecham said. “I don’t necessarily think it’s just from studying though. Kids we have at LHS might have studied, [but it’s] also the classes that they take leading up to their junior year of high school.”
As someone who found some success navigating the standardized testing hurdles, Ackley had an insightful take on how people should view preparing for the test.
“I think if you want to get it it’s something that you can actively try to get, but I don’t think I would necessarily encourage anyone to try to get it,” Ackley said. “It all comes down to how you feel and how you perform on one test day.”
Aside from studying for the test using Khan Academy and similar resources, Ackley also made sure to prepare himself mentally the night before taking the test.
“Get good sleep the night before,” Ackley said. “I try to stay off my phone before I go to the test because I feel like that messes with me.”
Acquiring awards from the College Board is a notable addition to these students’ college applications. Over the past few years Free State High School has had more National Merit scholars in comparison to Lawrence High, and Beecham believes this could be explained through a difference in how the two respective student bodies prepare for the PSAT.
“There is a lot of money in test prep,” Beecham said. “I do think that more families put an emphasis on it at Free State than they do here. That doesn’t mean that Free State has smarter students. I think that kids have different priorities.”
Whether you’re a student at Lawrence High or Free State, the PSAT can present students with an opportunity to impress colleges and scholarship committees.
“I would just encourage people to take this stuff seriously,” Ackley said. “Even if you don’t get these awards, you can still learn a lot just by preparing.”
