I’m an American citizen who is currently residing overseas. I’ve taken the PSAT and scored a 1490/1520 on it. Apparently, the chances of me qualifying for the NMSQT are low because international students are compared to the best US state. Is this true?
Yes
The population of US citizens abroad is not the same as that of eligible students in the US. Those who who do take the PSAT tend to be higher performing overall than students here. So yes, it is a group that always has high scores for the NMSQT cut-off.
However, that score is very promising as a predictor for your SAT (and to a lesser extent for your ACT) scores. There is likely to be excellent merit-aid out there for you based on your SAT and/or ACT. Don’t lose heart because of the NMSQT cut-off. It is not the only way to get money for your education.
I wouldn’t sweat it honestly. When I was in high school, the PSAT was massively overhyped: even the kids who did really well usually only got a few thousand dollars in awards. I was nowhere even close to my state’s cutoff, and went on to win literally 400k in college scholarships (only counting the ones I could accept, not every financial aid offer etc). So the PSAT super definitely is not the only path to merit aid; a high SAT score coupled with a high GPA will also get you excellent automatic and competitive merit offers.