<p>223 has been highest ever for CA…</p>
<p>Calimommy, I certainly hope so as Im in the same boat as you are. People are saying that the highest ever cutoff for CA has been 223, and that’s certainly true. However, the cutoff score for CA has been increasing the last few years and some states’ cutoff scores have already reached 224. But anyway, hoping that the cutoff score doesn’t rise above 223…</p>
<p>I’ve only been studying data for a few days now, so don’t read too much into this, but IF some scores do go down this year…and I suspect some will, I think CA is in the running for a drop. Only a handful of states (I think 5?) were higher than their previous high by more than 1 point, and CA was one of those few. Best wishes! If CA goes up, I fear we are all in trouble.</p>
<p>214 in FL 98th percentile. Last year the cutoff was 214 hope it doesn’t go up this year. I got the highest score in my class of about 120 people and my school is supposed to be a “smart” school that usually has 8 NMSF every year. Even the kids who take as rigorous a schedule as me (all APs) only for about 170s/180s. The next highest score I heard was a 197. Hoping this bodes well for a lowered cutoff if a lot of juniors did poorly. At the other, bigger high school in town, more kids were getting in the 200s but not many were getting over 210s. Eagerly anticipating the state reports in February!</p>
<p>Fingers crossed for you Culinarygenius. We are in FL too and hoping the cutoff actually goes down. Haven’t seen too many posts from FL though.</p>
<p>Are scores down in general? Sounds like they might be at our school</p>
<p>Student Y, you’re a lock - congrats! Here’s further info, but there is nothing to do until after you receive NMSF notification. The only thing you might want to take care of, and which you were likely going to do, anyway, is to have your confirming SAT score in the bag:<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1365011-faq-psat-sat-nmsf-nmf-process.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1365011-faq-psat-sat-nmsf-nmf-process.html</a>.</p>
<p>Got a 209. Last year was 210 for michigan. Do you think im expected to get it? Score cutoff has usually been 207-211. Mean is 209. So far I’ve been hearing rumors that it will decrease a little bit. The curve was harsh. But I’ve been hearing of quite a few 210+ granted all the smart people I talk to, and the smartest region in the state. PLEASE CHANCE ME…so nervous.</p>
<p>I got a 226 in Wisco. (I am a junior.) Quick question: if my classmates (a lot of them with borderline scores) and I were all over the cutoff, but my score is substantially higher, do colleges/scholarship organizations see this? In other words, is there really any benefit for scoring a lot higher than (state) cutoffs? (WI has been around 208-210 in recent years.)</p>
<p>Many giving out national merit scholarships simply require you to designate them as school of choice and a score of 205 or 225 has the same value to them as long as you have made national merit finalist cut.</p>
<p>UMTYMP2015 I’m in the exact same boat as you. An unexpected 217 in MN, extremely anxious.</p>
<p>MinnesotanKid and UMTYMP2015, I am also anxious for september, although I scored 214 (also MN). You both will be fine for NMSF. I can’t imagine the scores going up by two let alone going up at all. Hopefully this year’s cutoff follows the several year trend (213,215,213,215,…). Last year it was 215 so if it follows the trend, it could very well be 213!</p>
<p>I wish we didn’t have to wait so long to find out. It seems extreme.</p>
<p>Got a 225 in CA. Should I be confident in making it into the NMSF?</p>
<p>Sorry, but I don’t understand how it works. What does last year’s number have to do with this year’s test takers? If my D got a 218 in CA, does that (or might that) qualify her for anything? Maybe a finalist? Maybe commended? I’m guessing she won’t be an actual NMS with that score. But, what is the essay they have to write then?</p>
<p>Son got 225 in CA
Will college admissions look at PSAT scores? Or is it only good for NMSF?</p>
<p>No college admissions office looks at PSAT scores. Their usefulness is limited to their use as predictors for the SAT and as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.</p>
<p>Thank you! His actual SAT is higher than what PSAT projects, so I am not going to worry about it.</p>
<p>My DS, class of 2015, got a 227 in CA. I think should be ok for the Semi cutoff, unless the cutoff suddenly jumps higher.</p>
<p>Edit: his november SAT is 2310, 770 in all 3.</p>
<p>“My DS, class of 2015, got a 227 in CA”</p>
<p>The highest recorded has been 224 in any State in a while. Since California has a lot more students than most states, it is harder to break that number.</p>
<p>"What does last year’s number have to do with this year’s test takers? If my D got a 218 in CA, does that (or might that) qualify her for anything? Maybe a finalist? Maybe commended? "</p>
<p>The first two posts on this thread list 2014 cut offs as well as cut offs for the past 10 years. These are indicators of the past cutoffs with the expectation that it can be expected within those numbers unless something changed in a big which happened for 2012 and 2014 classes. Unless it drops 5 points, your D might need to be content with commended.</p>