<p>I took the PSAT this year as a junior and got</p>
<p>66 Critical Reading/ 58 Math/ 80 Writing</p>
<p>with a selection index of 204, which was the highest score in my school, and one that I shared with only one other person. I live in Kentucky and last year the cutoff for National Merit Commended Scholar was I think a 203 and Semi-Finalist was around a 211.</p>
<p>I go to a blue ribbon high school in one of the wealthiest/smartest school districts in the state, so my question is, does anyone think that the cutoff could drop down to a 204 for Semi-Finalist? I was extremely surprised that a 204 was the highest score and began to wonder if that wasn't an indication of perhaps there being lower scores in the rest of the state. I talked to my test-prep teacher and resident expert on the PSAT and he said he doubted the cutoff would drop that low, saying it would probably drop down to like a 208.</p>
<p>If that's true, do colleges still consider Commended status as remotely prestigious? I'm a junior ranked 6/281 and considering such colleges as Vanderbilt, Duke, UChicago, and William and Mary, do these colleges sound like a reach for someone not even recognized as a National Merit Semi-Finalist?</p>
<p>Commended is a big deal. Some colleges even give scholarships for commended students. I am not sure, but I think that at least one Kentucky university does so.</p>
<p>I posted a list earlier this week on either this board or the SAT board about such colleges.</p>
<p>Not all students who get into the colleges that you are considering are NM scholars. For that matter, even when it comes to HPYS, a lot of students get in who aren't NM scholars.</p>
<p>Remember, too, that your SAT scores may be higher than were your PSAT scores. </p>
<p>Being from Kentucky also probably counts as a plus when it comes to some of the very top colleges, particularly those outside of your region. That's because relatively few students in Kentucky have stats and a curriculum strong enough to meet the admission standards of top colleges. In addition, few students in Kentucky probably want to go that far from home. For that reason, you might want to consider more Midwestern college and take a look at the NE, too.</p>
<p>Also, there are 1,600 "special" NM scholarships that go to commended students, apparently students whose parents work for certain companies. It's not clear what companies offer those, but you could check with your parents' employers.</p>
<p>With the gap between your score and last year's semi-finalist score in Kentucky, I doubt that you'll make semi finalist, but you still should feel very proud of being commended.</p>
<p>chill ... commended is fine. don't let anyone rag on you. i have a friend who got into w&m ed with a 1350. Your psat score is neither your acceptance nor your rejection in any way. Buy a prep book and work on your math subscore for the real deal--increasing a below 60 score is very "doable."</p>
<p>Well i got a 204 on the PSATs which is something around a 1350 i think and today I just scored a 1500 (800 M and 700 V) on test 4 of 10 Reals 3rd ed. So yea, screw psats, as long as u can improve its all good</p>
<p>And practice, practice, practice. Thats what helps ur score.</p>
<p>Thanks guys, I think I will just stay worried about every little thing until I finally get accepted into a college I want. I know someone who got like a 205 and still got accepted to NYU, which is really good, hopefully I will kick SAT ass on Jan 22</p>
<p>And yeah, I definitely need to work on the math, lol</p>