Hi, we are from Texas and my twins will be graduating high school in 2024. My DS got 1490 on PSAT and 1560 on SAT,but his GPA is 3.83/4.0 and he had a lot of B’s in high school, my DD got 1490 on PSAT and 1510 on SAT, but got 3.95/4.0 GPA, less than 2 B’s in high school. Just wondering what their chances are for qualifying for NMSF/NMF.Thanks
Have you looked at the Compass Prep analysis?
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Do you have the PSAT section scores?
Semifinalist qualification is just based on PSAT score, and almost all semifinalists become finalists if they apply. GPA & SAT score play more of a role when it comes to the scholarship itself.
1490 is a pretty high PSAT score so unless your state scores are typically on the very high end, there’s probably a good chance. What you really need to know is not their score but their “selection index;” see this for more info: What PSAT Score Do You Need for National Merit? | BestColleges
yes they are 740 in Reading,writing and 750 in math
I was wondering if this GPA will be ok for becoming a finalist
From what I understand, 15000 of the 16000 semifinalists become finalists, largely (I believe) it is just a question of sending in the application. So yes, I believe those GPAs would be fine. In terms of receiving the scholarship (ie progressing past finalist status), it’s more of a wholistic application process which looks at similar criteria to college selection: gpa, course rigor, essay, recommendation letter, etc. So GPA alone isn’t really an indicator, but I don’t think those GPAs would be out of scope.
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That looks fine. From past posts, it seems like more than one C, or an F, or discipline issues are the big reasons for not making NMF (other than not filling out the application on time).
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I believe that works out to a Selection Index score of 223 (75 + 74 + 74 = 223), which should be more than good enough for NMSF.
According to the link someone posted above, the estimated cutoff for Texas for the class of 2024 is 219, and the cutoff in recent years has been 219 or 220.
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Yes it is. As @simon3 wrote, an SSI of 223 is almost certainly high enough for NMSF status in Texas. I’d be extremely surprised if they weren’t NMSF. With a confirming SAT of 1560, and a GPA of 3.83, the only reason that he would not be an NMF is for one of the reasons that @Mombbg23 mentioned.
Despite the impression that you may have from reading posts on CC, a GPA of 3.83 is excellent.
While making big assumptions is never a good idea, both your kids should start seeing what they need to do and have in order to advance from NMSF to NMF.
Your daughter may also be a contender for National Merit Scholar.
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