<p>hi i was wondering which year do most kids participate in the national merit scholar program? sophomore year? junior? Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>You qualify for National Merit Scholarships based on your PSAT score from your junior year.</p>
<p>ALL kids participate in junior year.</p>
<p>If possible, take the PSAT as a sophomore to get an idea of where you need to focus for the SAT and the junior-year PSAT.</p>
<p>Yes, lots of school offer the test to sophomores as well as juniors. </p>
<p>When will NMSF be notified this fall?</p>
<p>I think we'll be notified through our schools. Probably not the first weeks because things will be hectic, but soon :)</p>
<p>Remember if they take the PSAT sophomore year it does not count for National merit qualification - only the one taken in junior year counts. So soph year is just for the experience.</p>
<p>thanks you guys are a big help.</p>
<p>Even with a great Soph score, study for a bit.</p>
<p>Someone from my school had 223 soph, but only 197 junior, and got burned</p>
<p>Wait, if you take the PSAT as a junior are you automatically entered into the whole NMS thing?</p>
<p>@noobcake: Seriously? That sucks so much. I hope that doesn't happen to me! (PSAT 217, shooting for 230).</p>
<p>@chief56: You are automatically entered, and if eligible, you can become a commended or semifinalist. However, then your school needs to fill out some paperwork for you to advance from semi to finalist. (Mostly just cursory, something like 15,000 out of 16,000 semis become finalists)</p>
<p>If you make NMSF you'll be notified in late fall or early winter (well, your school will be notified and they may tell you in December-- ours tells us after winter break, if I recall correctly). Home schoolers will get the letter at home. You'll then need to write a short essay, and demonstrate with your SAT scores that you've maintaned these good scores (ie your PSAT wasnt a fluke) and as long as you dont become an axe-murderer or something you'll probably advance to finalist (you hear in the spring)</p>
<p>Both YOU and your school have to fill out paperwork to advance to finalist. You complete an application with the basic information, include an essay, and arrange for College Board to send your SAT scores to NM. Your school provides a recommendation and transcript. Finalists are notified in January.</p>
<p>if you get finalist and are affiliated with one of the sponsor companies in some way, then its basically free money.</p>
<p>my dad works for boeing and i got $6,000 for doing absolutely nothing. it was probably the worst essay i have ever written in my life.</p>
<p>Wrong..."On 8/21/06, high school principals were mailed notification about their 2007 program Semifinalists." Last year it was about the same, so this year will also be about the same. Not January or December... (that's the date when you get your PSAT scores for Juniors and Sophs.</p>
<p>I was told they would be mailed August 26th this year.</p>
<p>so even if you get a huge score as a sophomore you can't be a national merit scholar right? you can only enter as a junior?</p>
<p>Yeah. It would really suck if you get 240 sophomore year, then just miss the cutoff at like 214 or something...</p>
<p>@ sherpa: Mailed as in to individual students, or to schools?</p>
<p>you find out if youre a semifinalist at the beginning of junior year (you should know already if your score made it or not).</p>
<p>they mail some stuff to the school for you to fill out. </p>
<p>then you find out winterish/january if youre a finalist i think.</p>