<p>I'm a sophomore, these scores will definitely improve before the test comes around.</p>
<p>PSAT: 214
SAT: 760M/680CR/670R = 2110
GPA: 4.3 CW; 3.68 CUW (9-10)
No C's, barely any B's. Taking two AP's this year, 1 last year. I plan on self-studying psych this year as well.
EC's: Long term commitment to my sport (almost nat'l level) > 7 years
Exceptional volunteering for more than 5 years (presidential volunteer award bronze right now, trying for silver)
Courseload: maxed out on what I can take, 1 regs only b/c it is required to graduate & can't do it over summer.
Essay: Not consistently the best, but I do come out with some exceptional ones now and then.</p>
<p>Anything else? IDK what else factors into it, but I feel I have something pretty strong here. Maybe NMSF?</p>
<p>I’m kinda new to this but I’d say you have a good shot at NMF. Have you taken any prep classes? I’m guessing you are taking the PSAT again for practice this month? If you don’t score higher than 219/220 this time you might want to look into a prep class. If you’re in the Austin area I can give you a recommendation. Your grades seem good enough but you need to concentrate on the PSAT test. If you miss the test cut off by one point, the best grades in the world won’t help you. This year in TX you needed a 219 to make NMSF. This score could go up or down. If I were you I would concentrate on improving your PSAT test scores; SAT and GPA mean nothing if you don’t make the state minimum PSAT score in your Junior year.</p>
<p>My D is also a high school sophomore in TX and she’ll be taking the PSAT this month as practice. She took it as an 8th grader and scored 189 now that she’s had more math I think she will do much better. Practice test at home was 238 and practice test in a proctored testing environment was 226. I was surprised at the difference between the two scores but I’m guessing actual sophomore testing will fall somewhere between those scores and then Junior testing will be about the same or a smidgen above that. All the advise I’ve read here says do as many practice test as you can and figure why you missed what you did so you don’t repeat your mistakes.</p>
<p>Glad I’m not the only one with a sophomore that’s already concerned about NM!</p>
<p>You need to look up the historical cutoff for semi finalist in your state so you know what is your target. You are a sophomore right now, so your PSAT score was from freshmen? That is pretty good. You should be able to reach the cut off even for the most competitive states like CA or NJ by junior.</p>
<p>More math isn’t necessarily better, once you get to pre-calc, you are getting further and further from the PSAT and SAT math. English on the other hand tends to help a lot each year, due to the amount of reading and writing.</p>
<p>I think the past few years in TX have been 216, 219, 216, 218 or so. You have a real shot if you keep studying. Sign up for the October SAT next year, as it really helps get you ready. It’s 3 days before the PSAT.</p>
<p>My D had a 210 Soph. year and got a 223 Junior year.</p>
<p>It’s quite difficult to tell. The reason is because whether you become an NMSF depends on one test, taken on one day, during junior year. Assuming a 214 is above the cutoff for your state, and also assuming you can safely exceed that next year, you’ll probably achieve NMSF. </p>
<p>Honestly, that’s the “challenging” part. Of the 16,000 NMSFs, 15,000 move on to become NMFs. That is based solely on having good grades and a satisfying SAT score (that’s my understanding).</p>
<p>So, bottom line, make sure you do well on your PSAT, and the rest will almost certainly take care of itself.</p>
<p>You can definitely become a NMF. If the PSAT cutoffs Debbie listed are accurate, shoot for at least a 220 and possibly more around 222ish just to be safe. That’s quite doable considering you already have a 214. Do some prep work and you’ll be fine. I pulled my PSAT score up from a 190 to a 215</p>