I think when the PSAT test came up last year the school sent parents an email a week in advance mentioning the test date. Most people didn’t pay much attention to the test I’d say. So students that got good scores are those that are on an advanced academic track and PSAT is not as meaningful as SAT.
I think it depends a lot on the school and the kids/parents. Last year it was on our school’s calendar that came out in August. But before that I knew it could be an important test for my S22. He’s reasonably smart, and he’s a good test taker. I knew from the PSAT 8/9 he had in 9th that he would have the potential to do well on the 11th grade PSAT, so he spent time last summer prepping for it by taking practice tests at home.
For us, if he does make the semi-final cut-off, it will help with paying for college. There are some big scholarships and some small scholarships associated with it. Maybe kids who aren’t semi-finalists or finalists would earn those same scholarship amounts based on a high SAT score instead. I don’t know. But some schools do make it clear they are working to attract the finalist kids.
But for admissions, doing well on the SAT or ACT becomes more important. But even that depends on where you are looking at going. So many are optional now.
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Where did you see the Texas 220 or 221 cut off? I haven’t seen it on Art’s update. Unless someone from Texas with SI of 219 can confirm they did not make the Semifinalist list? Anyone, please?
Went out on a limb (because this waiting seems to stress me out more than my kid) & asked the counselor yesterday. She said the counselors have not heard anything but the principal is new this year - so hopefully she asks.
Exactly. Becoming a NMSF and eventually NMF can be extremely important for those who seek merit.
Not everyone can afford top colleges, and there are many students who thrive in honors programs in public universities where they get merit scholarships. Being a NMSF/NMF opens some of the scholarships and/or allows one to receive a higher amount.
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Saw on reddit that someone with 219 didn’t qualify in Texas, pretty sure Art hasn’t posted anything for Texas because he doesn’t want to spread info he isn’t confident in
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Reddit seems all over the place, so I’ll just sit tight & wait here re: Texas.
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Thanks Johnny B. Just heard that a 211 scorer was notified by his principal that he did NOT make it. So now our stomach starts churning. No room for flexibility now!
Let me know if you hear anything else!
that was in reference to mississippi
We were notified today at 212 that we did NOT get it it as well……so Mississippi is at least 213.
this is where the person claimed to not make 219. made me very sad to put it mildly: https://www.reddit.com/r/psat/comments/pg4ui5/texas_cutoff/
of coruse, no way to know if it is true or not… but no one has yet raised their hand and directly said ‘I am in TX and got NMSF with a 219’. The silence is deafening at this point with size of our state…
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Just saw a post on Reddit from someone in California that had an SI of 218 (did not make the cutoff) and just received a postcard from OU. That is just sad. I was getting hopeful! Back to the waiting game in Ga.
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and here is the guy who fanned to flames of rumor and induendo by breathlessly announcing a few days ago that someone at college board had ‘leaked’ the 219. He has since quietly changed his rumor/guesstimate to 220-221 needed to qualify, so obviously there was no ‘leaked’ info fro an insider.
Sorry, and I am completely with you on hoping these people are wrong…
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sorry to hear that. my son made a 214 three years ago and the score was 215. it hurts at first, but eventually a high act score makes all the difference
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Really? You promise???
Friends son got 219 in Texas, didn’t make the 220 cutoff. School sent out emails to the commended and qualified students.
Yes. Commended cutoff is 207.
Did you get a letter and stuff in the mail yourself or did the principal notify you? Also, are you homeschooled?
Notified by school in a public school
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You don’t get a letter for Semifinalist unless you are homeschooled. For everyone else, the notifications go to the high school principals. The notice does not include the cutoff - just who made it. So you have to match the names with the students’ Selection Score Index. If a person makes it, then anybody with that SSI or higher is in, but it could still be possible for someone with a lower SSI to be in. So the only way to know the exact cutoff if to know a student who made it with a particular score, and another who didn’t make it with a score that was one point lower than the student who made it.
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Alternate Entries definitely impacted this year’s cutoffs. I spoke with a supervisor at the National Merit Corp over the summer who confirmed this and told me that they had to do that to preserve the integrity of the program because otherwise the cutoffs would have gone down too much in several states. I think it is unfair because alternate entries got to take the SAT multiple times and submit their highest score. Those who took the PSAT got one bite at the apple.
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