Well, that just about solves all the rumors on this thread.
So why would a random CS CB rep offer up that the delay was caused by National Merit? What is causing “delays with the online scores?” Sounds like a major CYA to me. Why is this delay also pushing out the date for the paper reports?
Why would a testing center even mention that the delay wasn’t caused by National Merit? That sounds even more fishy to me…
i don’t know about the reason for the delay, but the January 6th release date is official on the CB website.
BTW @juniorivy I have have no dog in this hunt. My two sons (ds18 and ds20) took this test for other reasons, not National Merit.
Well, I was curious about that as well. @3scoutsmom I was told that CB sends the same information every year to all high schools who offer the PSAT or have students taking the PSAT. It is really just a routine email they send to schools reviewing and clarifying how to administer the results, as thousands of students do take the exam and the score release can be quite tricky. However, this year the email clarified the new online release and this included specifying the release dates (those dates are also official on CB’s website). Regarding the mention of NM somehow causing the delay, NM is a separate organization from CB. Really, NM scholarships are only one small part of the PSAT, affecting a very small percent of test takers, and they happen to be one of the few parts not controlled by the CB. It is NM’s responsibility, as a private company, to handle those qualifying scores independently from College Board. So, even if NM was having trouble determining scholarship cutoffs, it would only delay the time students are informed that they have received a NM scholarship. It would not affect the release of PSAT raw scores or national percentiles because CB handles those, not NM. This leads me to believe that the delay of raw scores is a problem within the CB, not NM. Currently, the CB has not mentioned anything about the delay of NM notifications, only the delay of raw scores. Usually, NM information does not even come out with the initial release of PSAT scores and students are not officially notified until the fall of their senior year.
Why can’t the CB release the raw scores on the promised dates?
Why would a CB employee even mention NM as an issue with the score delays???
The CB stated mid December score report dates in multiply printed publications, they changed the score report dates less than a week before the date that they had stated the scores would be reported.
Since NM, according to you, is such a small percent of students taking the PSAT why cant the CB release to RAW scores to those that aren’t concerned with NM?
@juniorivy do you seriously believe that the College Board doesn’t have the raw scores for the students that took PSAT in October???
This is great. "There is no problem with the percentiles . . . the delay is not due to NM . . . . " Are they following this CC thread or did they happen to volunteer that information gratis?
I’m surprised they didn’t add “And pay no attention to that man behind the curtain” to the e-mail. LOL
@3scoutsmom is absolutely right. They updated the release date from mid-December to January 6th, 4 days ago. If NM is not in contact with CB - then no employee would make up a statement like that…sorry, for an employee to say that, its because there is a close relationship between the 2. Even if she misspoke regarding the exact reason for the delay (which she may or may not have), after 2 months, CB should have the tests scored. Remember, these tests have no writing to score… they 100% computerized! They had data and numbers to crunch a few days after testing. Either there is a huge system issue (this is the first year they are pushing scores out using the web), or there are scoring issues or both.
This 2 week delay is really screwing up the class of 2017- which has already been screwed by CB multiple times this year because of the new tests.
I hope CB loses tons of market share to the ACT. I wish ACT came up with some competition for the AP program or subject tests. Why don’t they get into the subject test business and really show what competition looks like.
@suzyQ7 I think that part of the appeal of the ACT is that it seems “friendly” at first glance compared to the old SAT. Especially the lack of penalty for guessing. The reason that it’s gaining market share is because ACT Inc markets the test to states so that it takes the place of a statewide graduation exam (I should know, my state is one of them).
Bureaucracy exists in the ACT, too. Just check out the 300-page September ACT discussion. ACT scores were released over a long period, with some test-takers getting them in late November. Pretty unfortunate for seniors that applied early.
I agree with the others who voice skepticism about CB claims in cases where CB image is on the line. Remember these?
- The SAT is "bullet-proof"so that canceling 2 sections makes no difference to the validity of the scores. Each section in a test is of equal difficulty.
- Khan Academy SAT questions are “officIal” and “world-class”.
- The average increase in SAT scores after SAT test prep is 10 points per section, or 30 points in total.
@3scoutsmom I believe that the CB does have the raw scores, but are still working out the kinks with the online release. They are withholding them to ensure that the new online release goes smoothly. If they were to to just release the scores hastily, problems could arise and then test takers would we unhappy with the CB (but it sounds like some already are 
). As far as the delay of the paper release, I am not sure about other schools, but at my school, they always distributed the score reports around the end of January. So, for me, there is no real delay there, but that may not be true for all schools. It is quite possible that something fishy is going on inside the CB organization in terms of release, but probably no NM.
@Mamelot I think this thread isn’t the only place where people are having concerns about the delay being caused by NM, but I agree that I am frustrated with the delay too. But I am realizing that no matter how many conspiracies I contribute to ( or do not contribute to), the test scores will be released on January 6. No amount of complaints or threats to switch to the ACT will change the CB’s release date. And the information I provide on this forum is totally up to you to take it or leave it. It is all the information I have. Since I was told it through what has been a reliable source in the past, my schools test resource center, I thought I would share it.
It’s a valuable contribution, @juniorivy. Thank you. Getting the “official” explanation is always beneficial, even if some (including me) exhibit skepticism about the veracity of it. Thanks for doing so!
Good intel! Makes sense to me.
Its cool that Hispanic students will get notified in January. Maybe we can do some math to extrapolate between Hispanic cut-offs and state-offs.
I was just wondering if anyone else got a letter last week from Stanford for the summer high school program.
It said something like congratulations on your academic achievements-we would like you to apply to our 8 week summer program with college credit etc. I thought it might be just a marketing thing but my mother called them and they told her that it was from scoring in the top 5% on the PSAT. Since I’ve only taken it once, it would have to be based on the October test. So the tests have been scored?
They probably know what percentile you were in. However, if you did not receive a letter, does that mean you did not do well?
@workinghard1234 I recieved a letter from UCSD for the same thing and me and my friend were wondering if it was cause of the october PSAT
My junior also received the Stanford letter, but he also took the SAT in October and scored in the 99% on that, so I assumed he received the letter based on that.
@workinghard1234 I received that Stanford letter both times I’ve taken the PSAT. Once last year, once this year. I scored top 5% both times (I’m assuming).
My son received that letter as well, but I just assumed it was a marketing ploy. How would Stanford get scores (even rough percentages) before they were released?