The new online PSAT started out rough as students had to wait an hour before they could begin. Students were told to arrive at school at 8:15 a.m., giving them fifteen minutes until starting the test at 8:30 a.m. 

As students were setting up, College Board was having technical difficulties with the testing server, causing a delay. Proctors and students were told to wait patiently until they could start the test, which resulted in some fun games within classrooms to pass the time. 

“We played board games like battleships and chess,” said Kate Dugan ‘25. Other students either conversed with each other or read books they had brought because phones were not allowed. 

Fortunately, the server was able to get back up and ready for testing. Students were finally able to begin the PSAT around 9:30 a.m. The online test had already had a bumpy start, but this was soon made up with the tools and new criteria the test offered. 

“I really did appreciate all the tools that they provided such as being able to highlight text, cross out answers, and all the reference sheets for different formulas,” said Lauren Williams ‘26. 

Regular timed people ended before noon with extended timed people ending around 1:15 p.m. Other than the delay, the new online PSAT was a success!