National Merit Finalists?

What does it mean to be a national merit finalist? Is it if you’re at the top of the applicant pool or do you have to sign up? A lot of websites say it and idk what it means

Every thing you need to know is here. You are qualified based on your PSAT score.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1365011-faq-for-the-psat-sat-nmsf-nmf-process.html#latest

If your PSAT was lower than 222-223 in CA, then you probably didn’t qualify for NMSF.

its based on PSAT score and your state’s cutoff

how did you do on the PSAT