National Merit Semifinalist Qualify Scores -- Class of 2012

<p>(For the PSAT administered in Oct. 2010 with NMSF notifications in Aug./Sept. 2011 for the graduating class of 2012)</p>

<p>Because National Merit doesn't post a list of cutoff scores by state, people on this site have traditionally posted data here. NMSC usually notifies in late August and news should be coming soon. Because highs schools are highly idiosyncratic about contacting their student semi-finalists, it would be great if everyone would update the score under their state to compile a list for the individuals who won't know about their status for several more weeks.</p>

<p>You can feel free to edit the list yourself. Or simply post your information and rely on others to edit it in.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>If you have been notified that you are NMSF, post your score (and your state) if it is lower than the score already posted for your state. It will then become the lowest know qualifying score and be indicated as "<=".</p></li>
<li><p>If you have reliable knowledge of what the qualifying score for your state is (try asking whoever notifies you!), post it here, too. It will become the definitive cut-off score for your state indicated by "=".</p></li>
<li><p>Finally, if you know that you did not qualify and had a reasonably high score, it can also be useful to post your score as an example of the highest non-qualifying score. This can be indicated by ">="</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Please note: Be conscientious as you post scores on this thread--it would be crushing to be led to believe you have made the cutoff by a post but actually haven't. But everyone should be tolerant of mistakes, too. This is an unofficial source of information derived from a collaborative process and is not, therefore, guaranteed.</p>

<p>Previous threads:
2011 cut-off thread <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/986427-cut-off-scores-semi-finalist-announcements.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/986427-cut-off-scores-semi-finalist-announcements.html&lt;/a>
2010 cut-off thread <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/696125-psat-scores-national-merit-semifinalists-2009-h-s-class-2010-a.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/696125-psat-scores-national-merit-semifinalists-2009-h-s-class-2010-a.html&lt;/a>
2009 cut-off thread <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/554901-psat-cutoff-scores-2008-national-merit-semifinalists-h-s-09-a.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/554901-psat-cutoff-scores-2008-national-merit-semifinalists-h-s-09-a.html&lt;/a>
2008 cut-off thread <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/385453-official-national-merit-semifinalist-cutoff-scores-2007-a.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/385453-official-national-merit-semifinalist-cutoff-scores-2007-a.html&lt;/a>
2007 and prior cut-offs <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/2993607-post662.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/2993607-post662.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Here is the number to call--the receptionist will give you one "qualifying score" when asked. These will be available in mid-September after the press-release date.</p>

<p>National Merit Scholarship Corporation
1560 Sherman Avenue
Suite 200
Evanston, Illinois 60201-4897
Main Telephone: (847) 866-5100
Main Fax: (847) 866-5113</p>

<p>Remaining states that need to be finalized:
AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA,
ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND,
OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY</p>

<p>Updating <states updated=""></states></p>

<p>AL=? (post #?, per GC/NMSC/other)
AK=?
AZ=?
AR=?
CA=?
CO=?
CT=?
DE=?
DC=?
FL=?
GA=?
HI=?
ID=?
IL=?
IN=?
IA=?
KS=?
KY=?
LA=?
ME=?
MD=?
MA=?
MI=?
MN=?
MS=?
MO=?
MT=?
NE=?
NV=?
NH=?
NJ=?
NM=?
NY=?
NC=?
ND=?
OH=?
OK=?
OR=?
PA=?
RI=?
SC=?
SD=?
TN=?
TX=?
UT=?
VT=?
VA=?
WA=?
WV=?
WI=?
WY=?</p>

<p>10(?) Boarding school regions
No scores reported yet.
These usually are set to be equal to the highest cut-off score among the individual states in the region.</p>

<p>Internationals=?
This usually is set to be equal to the highest cut-off score among all the individual states.</p>

<p>Commended (national cutoff) = 201
Any person with a score equal to or higher than this cutoff who is not a NMSF receives commended status. This group represents the highest 50,000 scorers.</p>

<p>No numbers to report yet, but I had to call NMF about another issue, and the lady I spoke to mentioned the notifications for semifinalists are going out in the mail today to the schools. I tried to get her to tell me my state’s score, but she said she was not allowed to do so and wouldn’t budge. Good luck to everyone.</p>

<p>Here are the cutoffs for the last few years…</p>

<p>[National</a> Merit Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.collegeplanningsimplified.com/NationalMerit.html]National”>http://www.collegeplanningsimplified.com/NationalMerit.html)</p>

<p>Qualifying Scores for the Class of 2011 National Merit Semifinalists:
Alabama 210
Alaska 214
Arizona 209
Arkansas 203
California 219
Colorado 212
Connecticut 219
Delaware 215
District of Columbia 223
Florida 210
Georgia 215
Hawaii 215
Idaho 208
Illinois 214
Indiana 212
Iowa 209
Kansas 211
Kentucky 208
Louisiana 210
Maine 213
Maryland 220
Massachusetts 223
Michigan 209
Minnesota 213
Mississippi 205
Missouri 210
Montana 208
Nebraska 210
Nevada 208
New Hampshire 214
New Jersey 221
New Mexico 206
New York 217
North Carolina 214
North Dakota 202
Ohio 212
Oklahoma 206
Oregon 215
Pennsylvania 216
Rhode Island 211
South Carolina 208
South Dakota 205
Tennessee 212
Texas 215
Utah 203
Vermont 212
Virginia 218
Washington 218
West Virginia 202
Wisconsin 209
Wyoming 202
Commended 201
International 223
New England Boarding Schools 223</p>

<p>Qualifying Scores for the Class of 2010 National Merit Semifinalists:
Alabama 208
Alaska 211
Arizona 210
Arkansas 203
California 218
Colorado 213
Connecticut 218
Delaware 219
District of Columbia 221
Florida 211
Georgia 214
Hawaii 214
Idaho 209
Illinois 214
Indiana 211
Iowa 209
Kansas 211
Kentucky 209
Louisiana 207
Maine 213
Maryland 221
Massachusetts 221
Michigan 209
Minnesota 215
Mississippi 203
Missouri 211
Montana 204
Nebraska 207
Nevada 202
New Hampshire 213
New Jersey 221
New Mexico 208
New York 218
North Carolina 214
North Dakota 202
Ohio 211
Oklahoma 207
Oregon 213
Pennsylvania 214
Rhode Island 217
South Carolina 211
South Dakota 205
Tennessee 213
Texas 216
Utah 206
Vermont 213
Virginia 218
Washington 217
West Virginia 203
Wisconsin 207
Wyoming 201
New England/Mid Atlantic Boarding Schools 221
Commended 201
International 221</p>

<p>Qualifying scores for the Class of 2009 National Merit Semifinalists:
Alabama 209
Alaska 212
Arizona 209
Arkansas 204
California 217
Colorado 213
Connecticut 218
Delaware 219
District of Columbia 221
Florida 211
Georgia 215
Hawaii 216
Idaho 208
Illinois 214
Indiana 213
Iowa 210
Kansas 211
Kentucky 209
Louisiana 208
Maine 212
Maryland 220
Massachusetts 221
Michigan 209
Minnesota 214
Mississippi 201
Missouri 213
Montana 208
Nebraska 206
Nevada 206
New Hampshire 211
New Jersey 220
New Mexico 209
New York 216
North Carolina 215
North Dakota 201
Ohio 213
Oklahoma 208
Oregon 213
Pennsylvania 213
Rhode Island 213
South Carolina 212
South Dakota 205
Tennessee 213
Texas 215
Utah 203
Vermont 213
Virginia 219
Washington 217
West Virginia 203
Wisconsin 210
Wyoming 201
International 221
U.S. Territories 201</p>

<p>Qualifying Scores for the Class of 2008 National Merit Semifinalists:
Alabama 209
Alaska 213
Arizona 211
Arkansas 201
California 218
Colorado 213
Connecticut 217
Delaware 219
District of Columbia 223
Florida 212
Georgia 214
Hawaii 213
Idaho 204
Illinois 213
Indiana 213
Iowa 209
Kansas 212
Kentucky 208
Louisiana 206
Maine 211
Maryland 221
Massachusetts 223
Michigan 209
Minnesota 213
Mississippi 202
Missouri 211
Montana 207
Nebraska 207
Nevada 208
New Hampshire 215
New Jersey 221
New Mexico 208
New York 219
North Carolina 214
North Dakota 202
Ohio 211
Oklahoma 207
Oregon 213
Pennsylvania 214
Rhode Island 212
South Carolina 210
South Dakota 203
Tennessee 213
Texas 215
Utah 202
Vermont 216
Virginia 217
Washington 215
West Virginia 200
Wisconsin 208
Wyoming 200</p>

<p>don’t you have to get 202 or higher this year for commended? I’m not sure, can anyone else confirm.</p>

<p>Threads like this work great if everyone reads the original post and follows the procedure.</p>

<p>Based on this thread [thread]1107182[/thread], the cutoff for commended is 202. I’ll edit the list accordingly. If anyone received a 201 (or lower) and received a letter informing them they were at least commended, please post and edit the list to reflect your score.</p>

<p>This way, one needs only two posts – the original and the most recent – to know what’s going on.</p>

<hr>

<p>Remaining states that need to be finalized:
AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA,
ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND,
OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY</p>

<p>Updating <states updated=“”></states></p>

<p>AL=? (post #?, per GC/NMSC/other)
AK=?
AZ=?
AR=?
CA=?
CO=?
CT=?
DE=?
DC=?
FL=?
GA=?
HI=?
ID=?
IL=?
IN=?
IA=?
KS=?
KY=?
LA=?
ME=?
MD=?
MA=?
MI=?
MN=?
MS=?
MO=?
MT=?
NE=?
NV=?
NH=?
NJ=?
NM=?
NY=?
NC=?
ND=?
OH=?
OK=?
OR=?
PA=?
RI=?
SC=?
SD=?
TN=?
TX=?
UT=?
VT=?
VA=?
WA=?
WV=?
WI=?
WY=?</p>

<p>10(?) Boarding school regions
No scores reported yet.
These usually are set to be equal to the highest cut-off score among the individual states in the region.</p>

<p>Internationals=?
This usually is set to be equal to the highest cut-off score among all the individual states.</p>

<p>Commended (national cutoff) = 202
Any person with a score equal to or higher than this cutoff who is not a NMSF receives commended status. This group represents the highest 50,000 scorers.</p>

<p>My bad. I failed to edit out last year’s Commended cutoff score when I posted the new message. By the time I noticed, it was too late to change. Thanks for the correction.</p>

<p>No problem. I thought it was a good thing to demonstrate how the thread was supposed to work. Now if only I’d correctly filled out the “Updating” line and put the post I referenced in parentheses after the corrected score. :o</p>

<p>I talked with Nat’l Merit corp. The person I talked with said that they mailed the semi-finalist info to the schools on Tuesday, 8/23, so school should have them now, or will in the next couple days. They said that schools are allowed to inform the students of their status. The press release date this year is September 14th so state cut-offs will not be available until then.</p>

<p>Is anyone concerned that if the commended cutoff has increased from 201 to 202, it could mean that the semi finalist state cutoffs will increase a point or two also?</p>

<p>Thanks for the info, BJ. Nice to know that the packets have been mailed. As to the possibility of our state cut-off going up–<gulp> hope not!</gulp></p>

<p>215 got me in in NE!</p>

<p>Congratulations, Husker27! You are our first to report. Should be a special prize for that!</p>

<p>State cutoffs wont’ be available from NMSC until September 14. This thread reports information collected from all reliable sources, included those students who have been notified by their schools and wish reports their results.</p>

<p>Commended going up by a point doesn’t necessarily impact state cutoffs.</p>

<p>Thanks I think so too! I was surprised no one else had posted yet it doesn’t seem like Nebraska would be the first place to get the reports.</p>

<p>I’m just curious, Nebrasker, how were you notified? Are there many at your HS? Are there any with scores lower than yours, that is, closer to last year’s cut-off?</p>

<p>My principal told me to come to his office and then told me. It was pretty exciting I was hoping it would be at this… but anyway I was the only one, our school is small (39 in my class) so I don’t know about other scores for sure.</p>

<p>Gotta be one of the best reasons for being sent to the principal’s office!</p>

<p>Not sure how to edit your post. But S got his letter in Texas. His score was a 226</p>

<p>Do sophomores qualify for any award at all if they do well on the PSAT?</p>

<p>Also, I read somewhere on the NMS website that if sophomores do well, they are ineligible as Juniors; can someone explain that one to me? Am I reading this right?</p>

<p>redblue…I don’t believe sophomores get any recognition for a good score on the PSAT, but they aren’t disqualified from NMSF consideration during their junior year should they do well again on the test.</p>

<p>Wolverine is correct. Sophomores can’t be recognized, but they can be recognized as juniors if they do well again, as long as they meet the other criteria (US citizen, etc.)</p>