@crowlady sorry I wasn’t more clear, I was notified by my Principal/GC. I haven’t received a letter yet. Thanks for doing the work of keeping that list updated.
@spike2k2 I’m doing my best because it keeps me busy while I await news from MD! I’m prone to make errors though, so thanks for having my back. It would help to know the nature of the evidence, so the more you can tell us when you report a score the better. For example, Texas had been a different cutoff but we’ve gone with @WRUAustin’s number because he talked to a guidance counselor.
I’m sorry to see the cut-offs so high, not only for all the folks here but also for a friend of mine w/a DC who’s right on the bubble for our state. Last year, we had a KS high-schooler reporting in w/the cut-off, so I’m hoping for another one of those this year.
brother is in with a 223 in CA
So happy, thanks @Spike2k2 for your info! My daughter scored a 215 also. GC won’t tell us.
D will be thrilled, I will ask the GC if they are doing anything for NMSF and if not, then I will tell her.
I have a son with Ds and was thrilled when h got a diploma, I feel like this is even better.
Now back to work. I will still be checking just not every 10 min.
The original post for Colorado at 215 was #1013. Our Principle handed my daughter a letter telling her she was a Semifinalist, and invited her (with parents) to a breakfast with the schools other semifinalists.
Do you (or your brother) know anyone with a 222 who made it in CA? @sierrasunrise
Smiling in Iowa – son scored a 208 – GC just called
BIG emphasis on the confidentiality until 9/9
But you folks don’t know my kid! :))
@Spike2k2 That is correct. It is based on population. In the case of Hawaii, in 2014 there were 6650 entrants with 101 commended and 68 semifinalists.
Compared with:
CA - 176,879 - 6,644 - 2,027
NY - 142,574 - 2,730 - 1,012
TX - 199,383 - 3,311 - 1,353
@nycuws Where did you get those stats?
@Spike2k2 is correct in post #1059. There will be 16,000 NMSFs (give or take a few). The number per state is prorated based on the number of graduating seniors in that state. So, if a state has 5% of the graduating seniors in the US, that state will get 5% of the NMSFs. Of course, the number of graduating seniors is not known until after graduation, so that number must be based on either past years or estimates of the current year. Also, the numbers are never going to be exact. For example, suppose a state is entitled to 100 NMSFs, but when the National Merit Scholarship Corp looks at the scores, there is no score for that state which will yield exactly 100 NMSFs. So NMSC has to decide whether to go up a point and have fewer than 100 NMSFs in that state, or go down a point and have more than 100 NMSFs in that state. And they have to do that for every state so that the final number is about 16,000 per state. In a small state like Hawaii, setting the cutoff a tad lower may only result is a couple extra NMSFs. But in a place like Texas, setting the cutoff one point lower may result in dozens of extra NMSFs. All that has to be considered, and I think that, in part, contributes to the difficulty in predicting and understanding the cutoff scores.
Also, if you look at the score charts for the different versions of the PSAT (Form S given on Saturday, and Form W given on Wednesday), you may be shocked to see the differences in scoring. Missing 1 extra question on one section may result in a loss of 4 points or zero points. It is all very confusing and, if it weren’t so serious, hard to take seriously.
Just my opinion (as one who obsessively collected data, studied it, and tried to predict in advance whether my own bubble boys would make the cut)!
@3boystogo It is posted inside the 2014 Annual Report. You can find it at www.nationalmerit.org
In years past, has there been a consistent pattern with which test day (Weds. or Sat.) has the biggest missed point penalty?
In a way, I feel the whole system is flawed. I mean, one little test should not be a deciding factor of a student’s scholarship which this nation values so much. The whole thing does feel a little stupid after a while. 2 math sections, 2 reading sections, and a writing section for a scholarship? I know a lot of smart people who were really successful but never got to the semifinalist point. I also know a lot of people who were not very hard working and got the semifinalist standing out of just luck or possibly being decent test takers. And having different cutoffs is not cool either…In some states, my son could easily make it but here I am worrying…
No, @HeliMom74. It varies from year to year, and from Math to CR to W sections, and even within sections. For example, I just pulled out an old score conversion chart, and for that year, missing 1 CR question on Saturday gave a 79, but missing 2 gave a 76, and one M question gave a 75. On Wednesday, those scores would be 78, 75 and 76. In another year, you could miss 2 questions in CR on Wednesday and still have an 80! Miss 3 and have a 79! Miss 1 Math and have a 76! It’s just plain weird. Other years are totally different. Generally, if you’re going to miss a couple questions, best to miss them in CR and not Math! The Math curves are just unforgiving. I think they need to make the Math section harder so that there is some separation and a little room for error, so that one silly mistake, like a bubbling error in Math, doesn’t make such a big difference.
I poked around The Well-Trained Mind forums, but did not see any NMSF cut-off score discussions. I posted there last year & recall that I may have gotten a data-point or two from those folks. I think someone upthread said that they posted a question re: this year’s cut-off scores, but I do not see the post.
If I have time later, I’ll post the question there. Could not remember my user ID/PW for that site though.
Seems very quiet here, but perhaps as the school day ends, we will have more answers. Sometimes the NMSFs are called into the office toward the end of the day.
Anyone know ID?
Did someone just say that 212 makes it in TN?
“I know a lot of smart people who were really successful but never got to the semifinalist point. I also know a lot of people who were not very hard working and got the semifinalist standing out of just luck or possibly being decent test takers.”
@divider I agree with your first sentence about a lot of smart people who never got to the semifinalist point. I also agree that being a good test taker can get you to the semifinalist point, but in order to get to the finalist point and receive most of the big scholarships, you still have to have good grades (no more than one C or none at all) for the last 3 years of high school. It can’t be all luck!
@divider, I hear you. But it’s good to remember that NMSC is a private corporation, so they can set the rules however they want. And colleges can decide whether they care or not about NMF status. University of Texas decided a couple years ago that they would no longer offer NM scholarships. So it helps to just think of this as one more scholarship opportunity with weirdo rules. No different from the other scholarship opportunities with other weirdo rules, or scholarships limited to students of a particular race, or religion, or hair color, or any number of other scholarship criteria out there. There are scholarships for students whose parents are incarcerated, who have red hair, who like to hunt turkeys, who are over 6’2" tall, whose parents belong to the local credit union, etc. This may be called “National Merit”, but it is a private thing, and they set their own rules. They want each state represented, hence the different cutoffs.
When I win the lottery, I’m going to endow a scholarship for students whose parents are addicted to CC! Or for kids who refuse to clean their rooms. Those ones my kids could have won!