Class of 2022 National Merit Discussion - Scores Release

Does anyone have updates for CA? I have a 220 but I seriously doubt I made it :((

New York cut off looks like it’s a max of 220 as per Compass Prep, same as last year. So it would seem like alternate entry from schools like Stuyvesant didn’t make a difference.

Apparently, 220 is good in New York according to Art Sawyer and McElroy. If anyone out there from New York knows anyone who got an 219 and knows if they made it or not, please let me know. We are sweating it out because my son got a 219 in NY. Again, for those who were asking, 207 is what is takes for Commended Student (down 2 from last year). That cutoff came out in the spring.

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220 makes it in NY (at least according to Sawyer and McElroy). Unclear if a lower score with make it (still could make it with a lower score - not enough data yet). Early on, there were rumors about 218 (just rumors) in NY. I am biting my nails because my son got a 219. Stuy clearly DID make a difference. Without the Alternate Entries from there (because they didn’t offer either PSAT administration), the NY cutoff would have been MUCH lower. I think this was totally wrong for the same reasons another person commented. The National Merit Corp disregarded the rules (changed them) just to make their numbers look good (didn’t want it too look bad). I can tell you for a fact that AEs made a HUGE difference in states like NY and CA because I spoke directly with a supervisor at the NMC about this very issue over the summer. The cutoffs were going to be WAY down in NY and CA and she said they had to include the AEs for the “integrity” of the program. In other words, they didn’t want their numbers to go down too much because of the numerous schools that didn’t offer the PSAT due to COVID.

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My child is is in the same situation, and I am really hoping it will be a 219. The 218 was just a random guess by someone, and it was before they knew alternate entry would be factored in the cutoff so I wouldn’t put any weight on that. My gut feeling is that it will be 220 due to AE, which would be really unfortunate. (for us)

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Guys does 1580 make the AE cut in California? I never had a chance to take the PSAT last year due to covid but I took it 2 years ago in 10th grade and got a 1270 lol.

On a side note, I don’t really agree with the idea that the PSAT predicts your SAT score because it definitely didn’t for me. I didn’t do any sort of dramatic studying either.

yes lol my 1560 is already above the 228 index but I took the psat and had to settle for a 223 they seriously need to adjust the scaling of the index score

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Nobody knows for sure. There’s nothing definitive of a 220 being in or out. I also have one, but I doubt I made it as well.

Anyone heard anything in GA other than <=221 according to Art Sawyer? My son has a 220 so on the bubble. 221 would be the highest-ever cut-off for Georgia, up two points from last year’s 219. I called NMSC and was told we would be getting a letter in mid-September, which implies my son will be Commended at 220.

My son is in the same boat with a 220 in Ga. McElroy has Ga confirmed at 219, but I don’t know how that was confirmed and I haven’t seen that mentioned in any of the other sites. Hoping it is real! lol

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Has anyone heard anything for New Hampshire?

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So it seems like most Semifinalists make Finalist, right? What would cause someone to not make finalist?

It’s unclear to me how you each this conclusion. If the cutoff is the same as last year, when Stuyvesant students were all included through the PSAT, including them would indicate that the results are the same.

I don’t see how it concludes that if they hadn’t been included, with 10-15% of qualifiers excluded, the result would be the same.

Really?

AP Statistics is a good course to take.

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Seems GA cutoff is still not clear. My D22 with 221 got notified by her school last week and seems the next student from same class with 216 didn’t make it. I think GA cutoff is somewhere from 217 to 221.

This thread discuss the issue:

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10 OPRF seniors named 2021 National Merit semifinalists

That’s from a year ago, when they appear to have waited much longer to make the announcement. Current qualifiers are in the class of 2022.

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I have heard that some students do not follow through with the paperwork. Either they don’t need the money or don’t care about the prestige. Perhaps they have plans to go to an Ivy League school. Other students do not get finalist status because they blow off their senior year or have other problems that cause their grades to go down significantly. Their counselor/principal are directed to notify NMSC if students have conduct or grade issues. Not sure what other reasons a student would not become finalist, but vast majority do.

Nothing yet for my son in NH, but the first day of school is next week


My point is that alternate entry doesn’t appear to be driving cutoffs up past 2020 levels, as some people on this thread suggested it would.

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I guess I missed where people are suggesting that. AE would only adjust a much-lower-than-normal participation back to normal. And only if everyone knew about it, which they certainly didn’t.

If the absolute extreme case was participation the same as 2020, I don’t see how scores would rapidly escalate above 2020. Other than a correction for the abnormally low scores last year.

We’re seeing what I would expect - a fair bit of AE participation, as students capable of scoring in the range would be more likely to take advantage of it, but far from universal, so scores are down a point or two from the 2017-2019 norms, which are about on par with the depressed 2020 scores.

I suspect it is up substantially from what it would have been if AE wasn’t included in the cutoffs, but that’s a different topic, and we’ll probably never know.

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