<p>Okay so I know you take the PSAT your junior year and if you did good enough(based on your state) you advance. But I don't understand the timeline of things. Like can someone please explain in detail the timeline of becoming a National Merit Finalist? Very confused about the whole thing</p>
<p>National Merit Scholarship Competition Timeline</p>
<p>Junior Year
October – Take the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Dec/Jan – PSAT Score reports are delivered to students by counselors.
April – Lowest National Merit Commended score is announced.
Senior Year
September – National Merit Semi-Finalist are announced and application/competition packets are distributed by counselors.
February – National Merit Finalists are announced.</p>
<p><a href=“Flower Mound High School / Home of the Jaguars”>http://fmhs.lisd.net/summer/psatteam/national_merit_timeline.pdf</a></p>
<p>Wait! So if they tell you February of your senior year, does that mean you can’t put it on your college application?! :'(</p>
<p>You can’t put NMF on your application (except for schools with later deadlines). You can, however, put NMSF. And given that something like 95% of NMSFs become NMFs, it’s not a big difference. Pretty much nonexistent, when you consider that colleges can see your grades, SAT scores, and any major disciplinary actions, which are the things that can keep you from becoming a NMF.</p>
<p>Ugh okay… Does NSF look good on a harvard college application?</p>
<p>Well, it’s better to have NMSF than to not, so in that way it does look good. It is not exceptional, though, since a large number of Harvard’s applicants will be NMSFs, as well. So it’s not hugely important, but still good.</p>
<p>Okay thank you! 
HEY! What does the SMF ap ask for?</p>
<p>Well, your PSAT score will make you a National Merit Semifinalist (NMSF) if it’s high enough. Then you receive an application for National Merit Finalist (NMF). To validate your score, you need a good enough SAT score (usually 2000+, according to my counselor), decent grades (i.e., not a 2.5 GPA), and a counselor/principal recommendation (just to make sure you haven’t done anything so bad that they’re not willing to recommend you). Just looked it up, apparently 15/16 NMSFs become NMFs. So 93.75%.</p>
<p>Okay thank you! You answered all my questions!! :D</p>
<p>You can’t put NMF on your application (except for schools with later deadlines).</p>
<p>When my son was applying, he put “NMSF, likely NMF” on his apps.</p>