Colonia High School seniors, Nitya Shah and Jeremy Pampo, took the PSAT last fall. Out of 1.6 million students who took this test, they scored in the top three percent nationwide.
Both Shah and Pampo said they did not expect to score so high on the PSAT. Pampo mentioned that he took it because the school was offering it, and didn’t really expect to score so high. Shah stated that she knew she was one of the top scores but not to the extent of where she placed. Their scores were a difficult margin to meet, especially with the competitive scores in these past years. Neither Shah or Pampo claimed to study for the PSAT. Pampo said he studied for the SAT and the information just came in handy when taking the PSAT. While Shah mentioned that she does not believe in studying for standardized test such as the PSAT , but more for exams like an AP exam.
Pampo has a job at Dunkin Donuts, while Shah does not work , she still participates in numerous community service activities outside of school. Both involve themselves in after school activities. Pampo is in marching band, choir, orchestra, and involved in the play, and more. Shah is President of Fusion Club, and is in the academic club, the FBLA, Rho Kappa, and more.
When asked how long ahead of time they started studying for PSAT, their answers are not what you would think. Pampo actually began studying for the SAT 4 months before and used that information to take the PSAT. Shah relied on school to prepare. Neither one took any preparation courses for the test including the one offered at Colonia High School.
Shah and Pampo were asked if they have any advice for someone who is taking the PSAT and wants to score high on it. Pampo said not to be deceived, that it was not knowledge tests many people think but more of an endurance test for your brain. He explained that you should focus on the wording of the question not just the question as a whole.
Shah gave the advice to not worry about the number that you score, or how well anyone else does. She said that you should only try to impress yourself and rise above your own expectations. And to try to set a goal to do better than you did in the previous year.
