This year of the 12 WFISD students named National Merit Commended, six were at Rider.
Seniors named National Merit Commended were Elizabeth Bynum, Oliver De Asis, Greg Gaskey, Sarah Harmer, Jonathon Lee and Cameron Liss.
Taking practice tests is what Harmer believes helped her.
“It’s nice to know [taking practice tests] paid off well in the end,” Harmer said. “I was trying to make as high as I could possibly get and hoping for the best.”
Bynum thought she might have made it but wasn’t sure since she “didn’t study or prepare.”
“Mrs. Kramer looked at [my scores] and told me I probably was,” Bynum said. “I found out for sure when we all got called down and were told by the counselors and Mrs. McDonald.”
De Asis was “honestly surprised” that he made National Merit Commended.
“It was a good feeling since not many people get to say that they’re National Merit anything,” De Asis said. “I suppose I was trying to make National Merit since I did Mr. and Mrs. Kramer’s PSAT camp, but everyone in there was so smart, I thought they would all make it, not me.”
Gaskey was just trying to do his best on the PSAT to prepare for the SAT.
For other students trying to make National Merit, Harmer recommends ASP.
“If you take it seriously, I think it might have been what helped me out in the end,” Harmer said.
“Make sure you’re used to the timing,” is one of Gaskey’s suggestions to do better on the PSAT.
“Practice with SAT prep a little because it’s harder material,” Gaskey said.
De Asis recommended the Kramer PSAT prep camp as well as reviewing.
“Review your vocab every day and read a lot so you get faster and have more time to answer the passage questions,” De Asis said. “Going out and buying supplements like PSAT books might be expensive, but it will help out in the long run.”
Liss agrees that the Kramers helped.
“I owe my success to the Kramers,” Liss said.