Costs Associated with PSAT
The Preliminary SAT or the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) in cooperation with the College Board in order to provide students economic aid for their under graduate studies. Hence, we can least expect this test to be costlier. Thepayments are regulated to be nominal and you will be charged reasonably meagre amounts, which in fact go into the preparation of test booklets and other resources. Furthermore, there are many other services provided by the NMSC to ensure that a student, who cannot meet the present fees, takes the test without any hassles. Let us now look into further details of the fees and other fee relaxation services offered to the students.PSAT Test FeesThe fees for the PSAT 2014 are US $14. This is the basic fee amount set by the NMSC. However, depending upon certain special conditions, you might be charged a little extra. For example, some schools charge an additional fee to meet the administration costs. Since the schools have to accommodate students and also procure certain resources, they are allowed to charge this extra fee amount. However, this additional fee would be a minimal amount and would not be a great burden.There are certain other cases, in which you will be charged extra amount. If you are a student outside of US, then apart from the $14 registration fees, you will be charged an extra $3 towards shipping your test book.The most important aspect regarding the fees, which you should remember is that this fee amount is not refundable. Hence, it is advised that you do not skip the test. Even if you are un-prepared, just take the test in order to get acquainted with it, which will help you perform well in your next attempt. Although the fee is not refundable if you miss the test, you can enter the scholarship competition provided you satisfy certain rules set by the NMSC. You may visit the link (http://www.nationalmerit.org/entering.php#miss) to know more about how to enter the scholarship competition if you missed your test.Other PSAT Related FeesThere are some other charges concerning the procedures like obtaining score reports etc. They are listed below:
- NMSC allows you to view different kinds of score reports to ensure that you make good use of the feedback from your PSAT performance.
- Two sets of student score reports will be sent, one for your school’s record and one for your own free of cost. Other reports that you can obtain free include the Summary of Answers and Skills, State Summary Reports.
- The School Summary Reports are fully comprehensive reports that help you understand your performance the best. These reports cost US $30 if not more than 50 juniors or 50 sophomores have taken the test at your school. Else, they will be given to you free.
Fee Waiver ServicesThe NMSC, with a view to lessen burden on economically backward students, has introduced the fee waiver service. This service can be availed by students who genuinely require a waiver. The applicants will be cross-checked by the authorities in order to keep the integrity of the programme.Based upon the annual income of the parents, you will be categorized and be allowed to avail the fee waiver service. For knowing about the rules and regulations and the requirements for being eligible for the fee waiver service, you may visit the link: http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/waivers/guidelines/psat. Even for the students hailing from other countries, the same income norms, as mentioned on the above given page are applicable. Moreover, make a note of the application deadline for this service.This is all the money related information that you must know. You can also find the entire information in the Official PSAT Guide, which has been issued by the NMSC to help students have a hassle-free testing experience.