The 2021-22 school year has begun anew and sophomore and junior students at Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) were recently notified via email of upcoming opportunities to sign up for the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) and various Advanced Placement (AP) tests. Both standardized exams are provided by the College Board and proctored by Ventura Unified School District (Ventura Unified) staff. 

The PSAT is an optional exam offered to both sophomores and juniors seeking practice and familiarization with SAT questions and material. The test will be administered in Foothill Tech classrooms on Saturday, Oct. 16 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Any eligible juniors can currently sign up at the student store for $20 and sophomores can sign up starting Friday, Sept. 3. Space is limited, so sign-ups are first come first served and low-income students can apply for a fee waiver using this Google Form. 

On top of introducing students to the rigor of College Board standardized testing, students who perform well on the PSAT may submit their scores to various scholarship federations and receive recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. 

Katie Tedford, assistant principal of Foothill Tech explained that, “the PSAT does help prepare for the SAT and is valuable if students may want to attend a university that requires the SAT.  The PSAT is a relatively low-cost exam, which also makes it more accessible to students.”

AP tests are also now available to Foothill Tech students currently enrolled in AP courses. AP tests are not required and do not affect GPA, but students who pass with a high score may receive college credit. 

“This is still of value as students can earn college credits for courses without paying college tuition and possibly save college tuition costs in the future,” Tedford added when asked about the value of standardized exams such as AP tests. 

College Board plans to offer in-person testing in the spring and each AP test has an initial cost of $95. Low-income students may apply for financial assistance and fee reductions using this form, but no full fee waivers will be distributed due to a lack of funds. Low-income students must send in their application by Sept. 24 to receive an email notification by Oct. 5 if their application was accepted. 

In order to register for AP tests, students must log in to their class on the College Board website using the class code and decide whether to take the exam by Sept. 10. Exam payments are due no later than Oct. 20, or an additional $40 late fee will be applied to each individual test. The final deadline for late test registration is March 1. 

AP testing will commence starting May 3 and students will be required to provide their own transportation to and from the Educational Services Center at 255 West Stanley Avenue, Suite 100. 

A detailed schedule of testing dates and times can be found here and will be released again sometime in the spring.