<p>Orange, to get NMF, all you have to do is score well enough on your PSAT this upcoming year to qualify as a National Merit Semifinalist. Once your a semifinalist, they just check your grades (will not be a problem for you) and as long as they are OK, they give you finalist status. </p>
<p>Now to be a semifinalist, your score on the PSAT needs to meet a minimum cutoff which is set based on the state you live in (Maryland and Virginia are more competitive than say South Carolina and Kansas and etc). Maryland’s cutoff score on the PSAT will probably be close to 220 (like Virginia) but this varies based on year and could be either lower and higher. Since you mentioned that you got a 1800 without studying for the test when you were in the 9th grade, I think a little bit of studying could get you in that range. From my experience, I took the SAT at the end of 8th grade (unfortunately it was a real and not a practice SAT, I was stupid to do that) and scored a 1300 old scale, which is pretty similar to your 9th grade score. But after some studying, in junior year I made the NMSF cutoff with 219 and got a 2300 (1500 old scale) on my SAT. I’m sure it could be the same for you too.</p>
<p>If you are interested in SC, id aim for NMSF, but remember there isnt a whole lot of pressure (outside of a few schools NMSF isnt worth anything) so don’t worry yourself about it or stress out. You’re lucky to have a great instate choice with Maryland.</p>