So I am currently a junior in HS and although the PSAT scores come out next monday, I asked my guidance counselor for the scores and I got a 1460. I want to know whether this score is any good in terms of the national merit scholarship program. I think my SI is around a 215-220, and I’m wondering whether that will get me as a semifinalist in Washington.
Also, what would the national commended cutoff be for this year? If I am eligible for the commended/finalist, when will I be notified, and how? If I am commended, is it even worth it to put on my application, for schools such as Wesleyan, Bard, Bates, Northeastern, Vassar? Thanks a ton everyone.
I think the worst/best SI for that score is 216 and 222. So obviously its a really big window. Last year Washington’s cutoff was 220 i think so assuming there isnt a lot of change there you are going to be very close. No way of knowing if you made the cut off until next year. Also i think 209 is the commended cutoff.
Edit: im not too sure on all this so if there is someone more experienced please correct me
A 1460 could range from a 760ebrw+700m to a 700ebrw+760m. (Drop the last zeros, double the ebrw, then add math). Best case is the former, which would be 222; worst case is a 212. If you had two 730s, your SI is 219. All easily clear 2017’s 209 for Commended Student. As for SF status, Washington was 220 for the first year of the new test. Your state is historically in the upper 2nd tier, so it bumped one point up from the old test, while top tier states compressed downward. I’m assuming you aren’t a boarding school, btw.
Fingers crossed that you had a bad day in math In any case, a 1460 is something to be VERY proud of. You are certainly on pace for SAT scores that will help add many choices to your future academic endeavors.
To add, I would definitely mention CS status. Heck, your CS would be higher than the SF cutoff of 37 states! Principals receive notification letters from NMSC in late August.
@skitennis@kassh4 thanks!
Sorry I wasn’t specific, but I got a 730 on both sections. I played around with the SI calculator, and as you mentioned skitennis, the english section seems to be more important which is odd.
Which leads me to my next question : is the si calculators any accurate?
Also why do students get notified so late? Do cutoffs get announced any earlier than the actual letters are sent out?
Do these psat scores reflect actual sat scores? Because I took the psat about 2mnths before the actual sat, and I did study for the sat in between those 2 months. The psat is out of 1520 so I’m not sure how good my psat score is
@skitennis to your last comment, it’s not like colleges will know the specific score from my commended status, so they won’t know whether I got a 209 or 217.
If you know your subscores you should not need a calculator.
English weighted more heavily dates back to the 80s. It was originally intended to get more female semi-finalists in the pool.
Cut-offs are never announced. They are deduced and compiled based on reports of who made it and who did not and published by various sources. National merit will confirm the cut off by phone for your state but after the press release and by then, you’ll already know if you made it.
Why it takes so long? No one knows but I like to think it is because Nsyionsl Merit has such a small staff that they can’t get to one year’s semi-finalists until they finish with the last year’s finalists.
Yes the PSAT score is supposed to represent your SAT score. A 1460 is great. To see if it is great for those schools, look at their average test scores. Ideally you’d want to be in their top quarter but at least above average.
Why wouldn’t you list Commended? Isn’t Commended better than Not Commended? If you have a lot of other Honors to list, then you might have to prioritize but yes, it is something worth mentioning.
@Pokeman1, CS is an accomplishment of achieving a PSAT score in at least the top three percent. For many it is worthy of inclusion. Others might fill that limited application space with other information. It’s certainly a case by case basis, but many more kids than not will use it, in my experience. Heck, there are roughly 1.55 million kids who’d happily trade scores with you.
With two additional months of school, studying, plus the added (albeit difficult) questions that bring the scale to 1600, it’s not unreasonable for your SAT scores to approach 1500, or better. And anyone capable of a 1460 PSAT should be expected to nail a superscored 1500.
Oh, and reading and writing are considered two separate tests, thus the weighting.
When do you find out the commended score? I scored a 1410, which converts to a 213 for me on the SI Scale (I take the ACT, not SAT, lol), and I know I missed my state’s cutoff for semifinalist. However, I still scored in the 99th percentile, so I think I have a good shot at getting commended. Is there any way to find out what it is or how much it could change from last year’s 209? Thanks.
@JSavage18 It will be April when we figure that out. Schools will get a list of students who scored above the mark. They aren’t told it means Commended. They are asked to verify that you are still enrolled and that your name is spelled right. But that is the list of those who move forward to be sorted between Commended and semi finalist.
It would be an unbelievable increase from 209 to 213. Not saying it can’t happen but it would be shocking. I’d expect a 1 point movement one way or the other.
@Pokeman1 Maybe I missed it, but I didn’t see which state you are from. That is almost as important as the score itself in determining whether you make NMSF. If you are from South Dakota or West Virginia, I can assure you that your 219 is going to make it. If you are from Massachusetts, probably not.
@Pokeman1 The cutoff for Washington was a 220 last year. You have a 219 (73 x 3)… Last year was a very weird year but it’s all we have to go on right now. You are indeed right on the bubble and you won’t know until September. Sorry. You need a plan A and a plan B one if you make it and one if you don’t.
Regardless, a 219 is a fabulous score and you should be proud of it. You’ll no doubt do well on the SAT and should have many great options.
In any case, a 1460 is something to be VERY proud of. You are certainly on pace for SAT scores that will help add many choices to your future academic endeavors.