<p>On this site (FairFax County Schools for the Gifted)
[url=<a href=“http://www.fcag.org/psatsatinfo.html]FCAG”>FCAG - PSAT/SAT Info]FCAG</a> - PSAT/SAT Info<a href=“Virginia”>/url</a>
They make a statement down in the middle of the page that the Virginia state cutoff for the 2012 test is 217 ----> “The PSAT cut-off score for Virginia in 2013 (referring to the test taken in 2012) was 217”.</p>
<p>They then post the cutoff scores for Virginia for the preceding 10 years. It shows 2011 test year as also being 217, so it appears that some schools already know the state cutoff.</p>
<p>The Fairfax schools statement is WRONG. It should say “referring to the test taken in 2011” not 2012. It is based on a press release from Sept. 2012 - before the 2012 test was even given. By “PSAT cut-off score for Virginia in 2013” they mean for the Class of 2013 - which took the test in 2011. The cutoff for the 2011 test year (2013 graduating class) was released in 9/2012 as being 217. </p>
<p>The cut-off for the 2012 test year (Class of 2014) will be available 9/2013 [and will VERY likely be 220 (or even 221) in Virginia]</p>
<p>Our GC was kind enough to make a copy of the letter and send it home. My son was the only one from his school, so there were no issues with confidentiality or anything like that…</p>
<p>Got notified by my headmaster that I am a “Commended Scholar”. I got a 221, which I was pretty pleased by. However, I live in MA. Which is the exact wrong state to get a 221 in. Last year, it had the highest cutoff in the nation, at 223. So I’m not expecting to become a Semifinalist. Oh well, at least I can put Commended Scholar under awards on my college apps. Better than nothing.</p>
<p>No. I contacted our GC today to make sure school got letter and school did. I recomend you get in touch with your school. Odds are VERY good they got letter if you scored at least a 203 but if they did not get a letter, maybe there’s a technical issue(such as NM board thinks you’re not a junior or something). That;s main reason I doublechecked with school.</p>
<p>My D got a 225 in NJ and we thought it would be enough. However, I was just reviewing NJ 2012 numbers and they’re higher than ever while the number of test takers went down. Would any of you that are so good at this let me know what you think? Her first choice is Fordham which is free to NM finalists, so this is really important to us.</p>
<p>cuhope - She is likely safe at 225 - the cutoff would have to go up to 226 for her to miss out, but those are some pretty big increases. The number of test takers does not matter (obviously more competition but does not change the number of NMSF selected). They determine the number of NMSF for a given state based on the ratio of graduates in a state to graduates in the nation X 16000. The big mystery is how balanced the scores are (some kids high in CR but low in math, high in math but not CR, or same kids high in both, etc). THose high scorers could be kids in the 220-225 range which would work to her advantage or could have a ton more in the 225-230 range which would hurt. Congrats to her for a great score! I know it is frustrating to know that in every state but about 3-4 she’d be a sure thing, but it is what it is.</p>
<p>Harvester, I understand that 203 is the commended level for the Class of 2014. However, I looked at past year’s data for CT, when the SF cutoff was 220, as well as data for states that have has a SF cutoff of 221, and it’s a toss-up, somewhere in the middle. Will have to wait and see the number in September for NMSF in CT - likely 220 or 221.</p>
<p>^ Wow, if 226 or 225 doesn’t make it, the College Board would need to reevaluate the strength of that PSAT! Seriously, 227 (or for that matter, 226) will not be the cutoff score for any state. We’ll know for sure in early September, but you two in NJ shouldn’t have the stress that many other “on the bubble” families will experience in the interim!</p>
<p>I do so hope you’re right Rockfishdg! I was ok until I saw the NJ state summary … I believe 223 has been the highest cutoff so holding on to that thought! Disneydebk, best of luck to your son!</p>
<p>One of the biggest problems with the PSAT is that only the top XX kids in the state are selected to be NMSF regardless of how well they perform - say it is 525 or so kids in NJ. That number is purely determined by the number of hs grads in NJ. If the kids score really well overall, NJ’s cutoff will go up. If the top 525 or so kids scored say 225 or above, the cutoff will be 225 no matter how insane that number is. They may play with the numbers a bit and make it 224 or 223 if if doesn’t add too many kids. (not predicting 225 - just used that as an example)</p>
<p>Typically, the curve takes care of things and the scores remain in a fairly consistent range - particularly for the states with a large number of test takers. But in looking at the state summary numbers cuhope posted for this year, there are a TON more kids in the top 75-80 and 70-74 range despite the curve, so only time will tell how it all falls out. The CR numbers are fairly close between 2010 and 2011 - but in 2012 1.5 times more kids were in the upper 75-80 bracket and even more in the 70-74 bracket. The math is kinda similar to 2010’s scores and there are 20%+ more kids in the upper range in writing as well. Impressive results for NJ that make it hard to predict. Not trying to put anyone on edge but presenting the possibility that scores might be surprisingly high. Hoping it works out for them!</p>
<p>In North Carolina, the cutoff last year was 213, the year before, 217.
I scored a 218 on the 2012 test. After reading some of these posts, I guess I am right on the edge. Does anyone feel like there is a big chance it will jump all the way to 219? I seriously thought I was going to be National Merit when I got my scores in December, and now I’m just sitting here worried, worried, worried. </p>
<p>And my GC hasn’t bothered to tell me I was a Top Scorer. Of course. lol</p>
<p>agitations - check with your gc just in case to make sure there isn’t a “problem” with your psat score, but they probably just didn’t bother to tell you. If you can post the data from the state summary reports (see post #349) for NC, we can see how the top scorers did this year compared to past years. It may or may not provide helpful info. 218 may be safe, but in general it looks like this year’s cutoffs will look more like two years ago than last year - and may be higher. Each state is different.</p>
<p>Okay, no matter how much I read through this thread and the literature on the National Merit website, I am still confused about how this entire process works.</p>
<p>I scored a 205 and was told by my principal this Friday that I’ve qualified for the preliminaries of the National Merit Scholar competition. What exactly will I have to do/ is there anything I’m supposed to have done by now? I’m a little confused. Is there paperwork or something involved?</p>
<p>Michelle147192 your principal’s wording was a little funny. I guess in a way you could say you have qualified for the preliminaries. The next step in the competition is the Semifinalist announcement in August/September. What state do you live in? Unless you live in one of the states with historically low cutoffs, frankly with a 205 your prospects are not too great.</p>