<p>Squelchy, we homeschool and our scores were sent directly to our home :)</p>
<p>Our hs used to have a PSAT night and would explain to parents and students what the results meant. It would also be a time to introduce the concept of going to college and what is entailed to parents and students. PSAT night would be in early January.</p>
<p>Budget cuts--PSAT night is out. Kids are given their scores and their booklets in class to take home and figure out themselves. Haven't heard any complaints from parents. The plus side is that the results are handed out in December now. Results delivered to teachers yesterday.</p>
<p>Ok i got a 203 which is not enough for semifinalist. But I got a 2200 on my SAT which is more than enough for semifinalist. I did bad on the psat because I was really sick that day. Can I send a letter to NMS corporation explaining my situation so that they could qualifiy me for national merit. What can I do please any suggestions.</p>
<p>I don't think you could retest, if that's what you mean.</p>
<p>But congratulations on your SAT score, it's high enough for other merit scholarships!</p>
<p>RationalDad posted:
[quote]
You people strike me as odd. Maybe you're not but you come off that way on here babbling on about your 12 and 13 yr olds taking the SAT.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>What is "odd" about wanting what's best for one's child? CTY was great for my kid! Still is; he'll be returning this summer.</p>
<p>No one here was "babbling on about" our middle-schoolers taking the SAT. You were obviously completely ignorant of the fact that some middle-schoolers DO take the SAT, and once informed that that was the case, couldn't fathom WHY. Well, now you know.</p>
<p>Some kids learn more quickly than other kids. Doesn't make them "better" kids; it just makes them kids who learn more quickly. </p>
<p>eg1, if your son likes the course(s) at the CAA site better, I think that'll be fine. The class may not move quite as fast as a CTY course, but you know what the kids say: You go to nerd camp for the class; you return for the people. Regarding logistics, though, it's only two days that you really have to worry about -- the first and last. My experience is that the rest of the time, your kid isn't even thinking of you!</p>
<p>~~~ </p>
<p>No PSAT scores here yet, either. Last year, S got them.... about a day before I found CC. Oh, my.... February?! I'm glad they'll be on the website in mid-December!</p>
<p>From california! did you get an asterisk next to your number?? i think thats how they tell you if you made the first cut off.
Can you tell me what the cutoff number is? i know last year, it was 217.</p>
<p>Wishbone - no, the asterisk just tells you if you're eligible to be considered. The cutoffs haven't been announced yet. But good luck to you.</p>
<p>Actually, the asterisk indicates a problem that you will need to deal with. The "Important Information" page of my son's PSAT/NMSQT Score Report says: </p>
<p>"If there is an asterisk (*) next to your Selection Index score, it means you do not meet requirements to enter NMSC competitions for awards to be offered in 2010."</p>
<p>It goes on to say: </p>
<p>"To find out why, compare your responses to the program entry items listed in the NMSC section on the inside of this report with entry requirements given in the Student Guide and on NMSC's Web site. If you made a coding error or there has been a change in plans that may affect program entry, WRITE immediately to:</p>
<p>National Merit Scholarship Corporation
Attn: Educational Services, 1560 Sherman Avenue, Suite 200, Evanston IL 60601-4897</p>
<p>"Include your name and home address, and the name, code number, and location of your high school.</p>
<p>"Visit National</a> Merit Scholarship Corporation for more information."</p>
<p>When I checked the Entry Requirements section of my son's Score Report (below the Selection Index and Percentile), I saw that the Report said "No Response" for one of the four questions (Years to be spent in grades 9-12). We sent a letter saying that there may have been a coding error (this was a fill-in-the-bubble thing; maybe the mark he made was too light), because the correct answer (4 years) should qualify him.</p>
<p>You also get an asterisk if you are a sophomore taking the test.</p>
<p>Good information above Sodium Free.</p>
<p>And to the weird guy who says he is a dad but doesn't know about taking the SAT as a junior high kid - in our district, if a kid qualifies (and I don't know why or how - you just get a notification) - they are STRONGLY encouraged (pressured by the counselors and teachers) to take the test for the Duke program. I think the district likes to publicize how many kids they have that get recognition so they push the teachers to push the kids ;)</p>
<p>Maybe where you live this is not an option? It sounds weird to me that it is only available and encouraged in some parts of the country.</p>
<p>It's interesting how different schools/districts approach things. S's school in no way pressured kids to take the test. It did offer a six- or eight-week afterschool class that helped familiarize kids with the test, but I'd say less than half of the eligible kids went to it. And you could pick and choose week to week whether you went, depending on your schedule.</p>
<p>I think it was a great, low-pressure opportunity to get early exposure to a test that we hope our kids will take on their way to a college education. Nothing more. I will say, however, that based on those scores, both of my kids went to a pricey summer camp but got a LOT of scholarship money, so don't let the prices of some of these things dissuade you.</p>
<p>ag54, I realize from your comment (that you also get an asterisk if you are a sophomore) that I wasn't quite right when I said that the asterisk means you have a problem that you need to deal with.</p>
<p>The asterisk really just means that the student does not meet the entry requirements for the 2010 competition. One of those requirements is that the student plans to graduate in 2010.* That means your child's score will have an asterisk if he or she is a sophomore this year (with a planned graduation date of 2011), but that's clearly not a problem! Sorry for being a bit misleading in my earlier post. </p>
<p>My son is a junior, so he does have a problem. The Score Report says there was no response to one of the program entry items (13c) on the answer sheet (see <a href="http://nationalmerit.org/answer_sheet.html%5B/url%5D">http://nationalmerit.org/answer_sheet.html</a>.) We mailed a letter to NMSC today, and I'm hoping it won't be too difficult to straighten things out.</p>
<hr>
<p>*The specific language on page 4 of the Student Guide (<a href="http://nationalmerit.org/student_guide.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://nationalmerit.org/student_guide.pdf</a>) is that the student must "be enrolled full time as a high school student, progressing normally toward graduation or completion of high school by 2010, and planning to enter college no later than the fall of 2010." </p>
<p>Page 5 of the Guide says that "Sophomores who take the 2008 PSAT/NMSQT but plan to spend four years in grades 9 through 12 will not meet entry requirements for the 2010 National Merit Program. They must take the PSAT/NMSQT again in 2009 (when they are juniors) to enter the competition that will end when scholarships are awarded in 2011, the year they will complete high school and enter college."</p>
<p>Just found out via the Dec. parent's bulletin from our HS that students will meet with counselors & learn their PSAT scores on Dec. 18.</p>
<p>Guess I'll go find something else to do until then........</p>
<p>Has anyone from Texas made NMSF or NMF? Anyone know the cutoff? My school hasn't said a word about it and I have no idea when they'll hand them out.</p>
<p>Jason, we won't know the cutoff for any state till mid year next year. But going by previous years, TX cutoff will be ~215. :)</p>
<p>Is the cut off score for the PSAT, the score that you have to beat to achieve National Merit or Commended status, or the score that you have to meet? In other words, if you score 215 and the cut-off for NM is 215 for your state, do you qualifty? Or do you have to get a 216 or better?</p>
<p>m-mom, I believe that it is the score you have to meet -- equal to or better. But we won't know for months what the exact cutoff will be for each state for the class of 2010.</p>
<p>Did someone say that PSAT scores will be available online on December 15? Our school hasn't said a word about the PSATs since October, and it's really frustrating.</p>
<p>Also, Jason--I'm from Texas too, and the PSAT cutoff score is usually in the range of 215-220. Judging by the difficulty of this year's PSAT, which I actually think may have been easier than last year's, the cutoff will probably be 217.</p>
<p>I knew those cutoff scores -- that's why I can't stand waiting for mine. I think I may have gotten them (I did it on that practice one CB sends out prior to tests).</p>
<p>I am starting to get pretty upset at my school for not letting us know. I have a feeling they've already gotten them! Why wait??</p>
<p>I think it's because the guidance counselors are already swamped with seniors' college applications, so they don't have time to give out scores--especially if you go to a big school with a lot of PSAT test-takers. Since the counselors are encouraged to have "discussions" with the students about their scores, they're probably waiting for a better time. </p>
<p>I suggest you sign up for an email notification on Collegeboard.com--they said they would email you the results in mid-December, which is probably faster.</p>
<p>^^ Exactly. For counselors the months of Nov-Dec belong to seniors and their applications. Come Jan-Feb, they'll turn their attention to the juniors. I think next year, in Nov-Dec we will want our children's counselors to give their undivided attention to our children- not to some juniors or their parents who are worrying about PSAT scores.</p>
<p>I wish collegeboard would just move the PSAT to the second week in November. They could then release the PSAT scores online around Dec 15th (as they do now) and nobody would be complaining.</p>