<p>There was another thread where a student got a 236 in PSAT and did not get the $2500 scholarship.</p>
<p>The $2500 scholarships are not based on cut off scores. Many factors come into play.</p>
<p>First it is state proportionate. That means every state gets some scholarships (a proportion of 2500 scholarships) based on the number of HS students in the state. So a state like Iowa, where more students take ACT than SAT stands to gain (as it is based on total number of HS students, not those who take the PSAT. ) Just pulling some random numbers: Let us say MA has 5% of HS students, but 7% of PSAT takers, they will get only 5% of the scholarships. Let us IA has 1% of HS students but .5% of PSAT takers, they get 1% of the scholarship. Difference may not be that stark as my example, but that weighs against people in some states. Some states are more competitive than others. Hence there will be more emphasis on non PSAT factors.</p>
<p>Second, the selection is holistic, made by a committee of outside HS GC and College Admissions Officers. Corporate Scholarships are decided by NMSC staff but not their own Scholarships. There is no point in getting a committee from outside if they are going to use a mechanical formula. A computer can do it faster and cheaper. A photo shows the committee looking through applications. </p>
<p>Thirdly, the word holistic means that all components of the application are under scrutiny: SAT scores, GPA, class standings, Principal Recommendation, EC’s, Essay. The Essay does not seem very important for getting from NMSF to NMF. My observations are that it does play a part in the final selection process. </p>
<p>The anecdotal evidence of students with low scores getting the scholarship and those with high scores not getting it, shows that there are other criteria. That said, I am going to hypothesize that higher you scores, your chances are better. However, there are no guarantee’s, No student should or can assume that they will be given this scholarship. They are no shoo-ins.</p>