Families and students enrolled at Carlsbad High School can register here for the 2025 PSAT/NMSQT® exam to be administered on Saturday, October 11, 2025.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: September 9, 2025 (midnight PST)
Please read through the information & then click on Order the PSAT/NMSQT® Exam to submit an order.
1. Registration & Fees
Students in grades 10 and 11 can register for the 2025 PSAT/NMSQT® exam between August 4, 2025 and September 9, 2025 (midnight PST) (or until spaces are at maximum capacity. Register early!)
The exam will be administered at the Carlsbad High School campus on Saturday, October 11, 2025.
The cost for each exam is $30.
Late Registration is not possible.
This will be a digital exam.
How do I submit the fees for the exam?
Payment is submitted at the end of the online payment form. Payment can be submitted online with a debit or credit card, or by mailing in a check or money order. A 3.9% credit card processing fee is added to the cost of the exam automatically if paying with a debit or credit card. There is no additional fee for mailing in payment. Mail in instructions are provided on the payment form. Postmark deadline to mail in a payment and ensure timely processing is September 3, 2025.
Is there any financial assistance available for the exam?
Qualifying students are eligible to receive a reduction or waiver of fees. Please contact the test coordinator, Mr. Ethan Williams at Ethan.Williams@carlsbadusd.net to request a reduction. Approved requests will receive a Fee Reduction discount code to apply to the online registration and payment form. Discount codes should be requested BEFORE completing the payment form and at least two days before the registration deadline. All students who would like to take the exam must complete the payment form.
Why take the PSAT/NMSQT® exam?
The PSAT/NMSQT® (PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) is a 2.5-hour version of the College Board’s SAT®. The PSAT/NMSQT® measures verbal, mathematical, and writing abilities important to success in university and provides practice for taking the SAT® in their senior year. The PSAT/NMSQT® can be used to predict performance on the SAT. The PSAT® is not used in US university admission; scores will be sent only to the student and to the school.
In the grade 11 year, the PSAT/NMSQT® exam is also the qualifying exam for the National Merit Scholarship.
Can I cancel the exam and get a refund?
Per Carlsbad HS policy, no cancellation or refunds are possible.
For questions or assistance, please email info@aptsusa.com or call 1-855-663-8348.
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. 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.
