Students and Families enrolled at Ames High School can register here for the 2026 PSAT/NMSQT® Exam Administration.
Exam Date: October 21, 2026
Exam Fee: $18
Registration Deadline: September 18, 2026
Please read through the information below and then click on Order the PSAT/NMSQT® to submit an order.
1. Registration & Fees
Students must pre-register for the 2026 PSAT/NMSQT® exam by September 18, 2026 (midnight EST).
No late registration is possible.
The exam will be administered at Ames High School on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, during school hours.
The cost for each exam is $20.
Please see below information on preparing for the digital exam.
All students wanting to test must complete the online order/payment form at Order the PSAT/NMSQT®
At the end of the form, payment will be submitted either online (using a credit or debit card), or by selecting Mail-in (for checks or money orders.) Online payments have a 3.9% processing fee automatically added. No additional processing fee is added for Mail-in payment submissions. Instructions on how to complete the payment process via mail-in will be emailed to the parent email address provided on the online registration form. Postmark deadline to mail in payments and ensure timely processing is September 14, 2026.
2. Why take the PSAT/NMSQT® exam?
Students are encouraged to take the PSAT® for a variety of reasons: 1) it gives the most up-to-date picture of where you are likely to score on the actual SAT®. This will assist you in creating a study plan for the SAT® exam. 2) As a junior, you are entered as a part of the National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test (NMSQT®), a competition that awards some top scoring students across the nation with scholarships. 3) Another chance at a practice exam will help you to get a feel for the actual exam, which helps to reduce testing anxiety.
3. Can I cancel my exam and receive a refund?
No. Per Ames Community HS policy, cancellations and refunds of the exam fees is not possible.
How do I prepare for the exam?
The College Board offers detailed information as well as preparation tools developed in partnership with The Khan Academy. To access these tools via The College Board’s PSAT/NMSQT® informational page, click here.
What do I need to know about the test day?
Exam day specifics and reporting information will be communicated by your campus closer to the test date. Please plan for the following:
- ALL students taking the exam must have a CURRENT school- or government-issued photo ID (such as a driver’s license or school ID.)
- Students must bring to the exam their school-issued Chromebook in a fully charged state. We recommend you bring your power/charge cord as well.
- The exam will be administered on the College Board “Bluebook” exam app (which will be installed by the school in the Chromebook Kiosk apps). Restart your Chromebook before exam day to ensure the most current version of the exam app is installed.
- Students must know what their College Board account/profile log in credentials are – this is the same account you would use to log into MyAP for AP Classes/exams as well as the same account used for SAT exam orders on http://collegeboard.org
- Students must know the log in credentials and check that they are correct BEFORE exam day since contacting College Board on exam day will not be feasible due to time constraints.
- Do NOT create a new account or profile if you’re struggling to log into your previously created account! All exam scores and information must be on the same account.
- If a student is not sure how to log into their College Board accounts, or need to create one, please visit the College Board Accounts page at https://account.collegeboard.org/
- Students may also bring water and a snack
- Review the College Board digital exam requirements for exam day (what you may and may not bring): https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt/taking-the-test/what-to-bring-leave/what-to-bring
When and how are scores for the exam released?
Exam scores are typically released 4-6 weeks after exam administration via the College Board’s BigFuture mobile app (students need to provide a mobile/cell number on exam day to receive scores via this app.)
Please visit College Board’s website for detailed information on how to access PSAT/NMSQT® scores.
For questions or assistance, please contact your school exam coordinator or email info@aptsusa.com
