It’s been some time since scores were released for the Class of 2019 PSAT… I’m sure that everyone has been estimating this year’s cutoffs. Very stressful wait!
Here’s the worry thread about NMSF… Post your worries, predictions, experiences, and more!
This too shall pass @potatoepotatoe . But it seems like it takes forever. What is your state and your Score?
@Phlipper Wait is soooo long. And 222 in Virginia
Commended confirmed at 212 which was Art’s prediction. His estimates are probably the best predictions out there. Good luck to all!
Good luck to class of 2019. It was a crazy year for me as a parent of 2018 students.
Words of advice - talk with you students now about schools
^^ Good advice. In addition, something which has been mentioned upthread or on other threads is to stay up to date with what the school is offering the NMF’s. It can change from year to year, or even within the admission cycle! In particular, the website is helpful but don’t just rely on that - reach out to the NM liaison or admissions rep with questions or confirmation about what scholarships are available for the finalists.Even if done at the beginning of the cycle - say, August or September or right before SF’s are announced, that’s not too early from a financial planning perspective, especially if you are fairly confident of making SF.
This is a great time for new NMF hopefuls to look at Florida schools - they passed the bill that provides the Benacquisto scholarship to OOS NMFs. Excellent deals to be had at UF, FSU, UCF, UMiami, and (I believe) USF.
@GertrudeMcFuzz No way! That’s amazing! Thank you for sharing! UF is on my list 
Great information!
My DS has 223 in SC. A few questions…
Is he likely be selected as SemiFinalist?
If he is a candidate, with a 1510 SAT, (1st time) would you recommend a retake of SAT this fall to be considered for Finalist? This seems so not a given to advance even with great stats. Yikes!
@SCMomofTwo Congrats! Check out Art’s info over at CompassPrep or google how to determine SAT SI. 1510 should be more than fine. SC is predicted to have an SI cutoff of 217 so I would think your student is sitting pretty! Art has great info about process but I also recommend checking out the 2018 National Merit thread because they have lots of good info as well.
My S19 only has a one point buffer to play with here in CO (SI 221 with a predicted cutoff of 220 but who knows?!?) But he has a confirming SAT score of 1570 so now it is just going to be a waiting game for us to see where the cutoffs come in for CO.
Very helpful info @mountainmomof3! Thank you! Congrats on the high SAT score! We are debating our son retaking it, but he scored an ACT of 36 so would love to not schedule ANOTHER thing for the fall with the application season in full swing as well.
@SCMomofTwo: You calculate the SAT SI similar to how the PSAT SI is calculated. A 1510 is going to clear by a long shot but here’s what you do:
Let’s say his score is EBRW 750 and Math 760. SI = (2*EBRW + Math) / 10 = (1500 + 760) / 10 = 226.
Anything at the Commended of 212 or over is going to be in the clear.
Since he already has a perfect 36, he can probably move on to other parts of his application now. Congrats to him and best of luck on his college admissions!
What do you all think the minimum SAT score to go from NMSF to NMF is? You obviously want the highest score possible but any idea of what a good cutoff is is good
@hayisforhorse hopefully a 2018 parent will chime in but I believe an SAT score SI at or above the commended score of 212 should be fine. It is actually not as hard to get SAT confirming score as it is to make the PSAT cutoff SI.
The SAT confirming score is always a set number around the minimum SI that makes National Merit - perhaps a bit below. The min. SI is the Commended. Commended for the 2019 contest year is 212. Therefore, if your SAT converts to an SI of 212 or higher you should be fine.
Awesome! Thank you so much! I’ll be prepping for the SAT over the summer and now I know where to shoot!
Btw-I’m from TN and have a PSAT SI of 220
I got 1480 and would have been elated if it weren’t for the fact that I’m in California, which means it is super likely that I missed the cutoff by one correct answer on grammar.
So I’m actually really mad. Might as well have thrown in the towel and just gotten 1420 or something because it clearly didn’t matter.
@mundyt What was your SI? That is what matters. My son had a PSAT 1480 with an SI of 221. Had his reading been higher versus his math,he would have had a higher SI. But you are correct - CA has one of the higher cutoffs.
Happened to my child too. Will most likely miss the state cutoff by 1. But as I know from previous kids, it is not the end all be all of applying to college. Yes, it will open doors for financial reasons if you are looking for this. As far as giving a boost for selective college admissions, it won’t matter. Don’t fret!
My son missed only reading questions and 1470 gave him SI of 218. Last year he had 221, here’s hoping NV had low scores this year.