After months of waiting,  high school sophomores and juniors have finally received the results of October's Preliminary SAT (or PSAT). Which leaves one question: what now?

The answer is a lot easier than most might believe. If your score came back high, congratulations. If it came back low, relax. Either way, taking a good look at your results can help you get ready for your next round of testing. Think of the PSAT as a tool for students who are preparing for other, more important, tests.

The PSAT is co-sponsored by the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. "The PSAT was first administered in 1959 and was originally designed to provide practice for taking the SAT," says Glenn Milewski. He's the executive director of the PSAT program.

"[Students] want to find out as soon as possible how they'll do on the SAT, and the only way to know that is to take the PSAT," says Jeff Pleis. Pleis is the education manager of study skills and test preparation with the Sylvan Learning Center.

Like other standardized tests, the PSAT is designed to assess student skills in particular areas, specifically critical reading, writing skills and mathematics. Your scores in these areas will be on a scale of 20 to 80. In the percentile section of the results, you'll also see where you rank: you're being compared to other juniors who wrote the test. Sophomores are compared separately.

You'll want to focus on the Review Your Skills section. Here you'll find specific things to focus on as you prepare for the SAT. This section is personalized for each student and names two or three things to work on for each area of testing. It's like getting a personal study plan.

Educators emphasize the importance of PSAT results in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Good performance on the PSAT can help you get your name in the hat for this honor, one that will assist in the quest for college as much as a high SAT score.

The program awards a rough total of $50 million in undergraduate college scholarships annually to thousands of qualifying students in the U.S. It also "makes you highly sought after by colleges," according to Pleis.

"It's enough to get you into a lot of schools," Pleis adds.

But don't sweat it if your score was low. A low score on the PSAT holds no weight with colleges or universities. In fact, aside from the National Merit Scholarship Program, they rarely (if ever) see PSAT results.

"Students' scores on the PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) are reported only to students, their schools, and to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Scores on the test are not reported to colleges or included on student transcripts," says Milewski.

"Students and parents should use the feedback provided on the score report and in My College QuickStart (an online application available free to students who take the test) to address academic skill areas that can benefit from additional study or practice," Milewski adds. Access to My College QuickStart begins in December, when PSAT results arrive.

The PSAT challenges students with questions based on reason, not on memory. In other words, you can't cram for the PSAT (or the SAT) like you can for finals. It's not a matter of memorizing facts. But if your PSAT scores show you're weak in one area, you can focus on that area in creative ways.

Pleis offers a variety of tips for each skill area covered in the SAT. For example, if your critical reading scores were weak, you can seek out opinion articles in news magazines to improve verbal skills.

Milewski offers an even broader piece of advice for students preparing to take the SAT, one that can prove valuable even beyond the test.

"In general, the College Board emphasizes the importance of students preparing by taking challenging academic courses and reading widely, thereby providing them with the skills and knowledge that they will need to do well in college, and not just on the SAT or other standardized tests," Milewski says.