Dates & Fees
PSAT/NMSQT: When it's administered, what it costs
Each year the PSAT/NMSQT is given on the third Saturday of October and the preceding Wednesday. Schools choose one of these dates to test. Fees are kept as low as possible, and fee waivers are available for students in eleventh grade who cannot afford the test fee.
Test dates
PSAT/NMSQT test dates for the next two years are:
- 2009: Wednesday, October 14 and Saturday, October 17
- 2010: Wednesday, October 13 and Saturday, October 16
2009 PSAT/NMSQT test fees
- There is a charge of $13 per answer sheet submitted for scoring. (Schools may add an additional fee to cover administrative costs.)
- Schools outside the United States (except in U.S. territories and Canada) will be charged a $1 shipping surcharge for each test book ordered.
Fee waivers
A limited number of fee waivers are available on a first-come, first-served basis for eligible students in eleventh grade who meet USDA Income Eligibility Guidelines.
To request fee waivers for your school:
- By June 15, log into the PSAT/NMSQT Coordinator site.
- Click on the "place/update test material order and request fee waivers" link.
- In section 3, enter the number of PSAT/NMSQT fee waivers that you are requesting. (Note: This section also shows the number of fee waivers redeemed last year.)
- After you click submit, you will see a confirmation of the number of fee waivers allocated for your school.
- After the test, when you complete your school's remittance report online on the PSAT/NMSQT Coordinator site, you MUST complete the Fee-Waiver Roster, listing the name of each student using a fee waiver. The number of fee waivers used must match the number of names provided on the roster and may not exceed the number of fee waivers allocated for your school. The Fee-Waiver Roster must be returned with your remittance. Schools that do not submit a Fee-Waiver Roster by November 13, 2009, will be billed and will have to pay the test fees for these students.
The online system allocates PSAT/NMSQT fee waivers based on the number of fee waivers redeemed last year. If you need more fee waivers than the system allows:
- Make sure that you've placed your 2009 PSAT/NMSQT order.
- Send an email to psat@collegeboard.org.
- Include "Fee Waivers" and your school code in the subject line.
- In your message, state your six-digit school code, the percentage of juniors who receive free or reduced-price lunch (available at www.schooldatadirect.org) and the total number of fee waivers requested. Also explain your school's need for this quantity.
- You will receive an email response indicating whether or not your we were able to allocate your additional fee waivers.
2009 Unused test book fee
There is a $2 fee for each unused test book exceeding 20 percent of the total number ordered. Schools that use at least 80 percent of the test books they order will not incur an unused test fee. Unused test books cannot be returned for a refund.
Unused test fee example: A school orders 600 tests. There is no charge for 120 unused tests (20% of 600). If the school returns 500 answer sheets for scoring, there is no unused test charge. If the school returns 450 answer sheets for scoring, there will be a $60 additional charge for the 30 unused tests beyond the 120 free unused tests.
By minimizing waste and encouraging schools to plan more precisely, the unused test fee helps keep PSAT/NMSQT test fees low for students. Each year, only a small portion of schools incur an unused test fee.
Please note that U.S. schools have until September 23, 2009, to increase test book orders, but only until August 28, 2009, to decrease them. Schools outside the United States have until September 16, 2009, to increase test book orders, but only until August 3, 2009, to decrease them.
Test-Day Closures
Schools that close on their registered test day due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather or building disruptions, widespread illness, etc., should contact the PSAT/NMSQT program by 3 p.m. EST Friday, October 16, to arrange for an alternate administration.