I recently took the new PSAT (three sections) as a sophomore, and didn’t make much of it, I was generally pretty careless and didn’t really emphasize its importance. However, I think my scores might be somewhat decent (on math and on language maybe), so how many could I miss and still make the cutoff for nm (I know I can’t as a sophomore but curious);
No one knows yet since this is a completely different.
Also, the states have different cutoffs. There are “difficult” states (e.g., NJ & DC), and “easy” states (e.g., MS & LA).
I’m in Ohio, a medium state.
There have been some hypotheses on what the new scores will be in each state, t is all they are- hypotheses.
Ohio? Then u can only get a medium number of answers wrong.
No one really knows how this year will shake out. Not only was the test itself redesigned, the NM selection criteria has also changed. For NM cutoff, there’s now less weight given to the math questions.
In the past, the NM cutoff was based on PSAT score. PSAT score gives double weighting to the math questions, so the math answers ended up contributing 1/2 of the PSAT score.
This round, NM cutoff will be based on a Selection Index, not on the PSAT score, where all the questions have even weighting, which means the math questions only contribute 1/3. And CR contributes 1/3. And Writing contributes 1/3. NM will now favor students w verbal skills.
@GMTplus7: That blows because I am a “math” student and was really upset about how students in my school were struggling with the math portion of this test, especially amidst among a “math crisis” in this country meaning that we as American students are slowly moving down the ranks of math aptitude when compared to the rest of the world. And this will further isolate the cause of improving math skills in this country.
Oh well. 
@GMTplus7 I’m not sure why you keep saying that - the selection index for previous years has ALWAYs been 1/3 math, 1/3 reading, and 1/3 writing. That part has not changed. The format of the test and the TOTAL scoring is 50/50 math/language, but the total score is not used for NMS and cutoffs. The selection index is used (and has always been used). Please read through @3scoutsmom’s thread and go back to older threads/NMS information guides if you don’t believe me.
This is what @scoutsmom quoted in the intial post of her thread:
@GMTplus7 That statement is correct. In the PAST the selection index aligned with the score, but that is not the case for the new PSAT. Meaning, in the past the total score was based on 1/3, 1/3, 1/3, as was the selection index. Now, the total score is based on 50/50 math/English, but the Selection Index (used for NMS) is not. So the selection index has always been 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 - that part has not changed. The total score has, which is not used for NMS selection index.
Ohhhhh… so it’s the PSAT scoring that has changed, and not the NM selection index that’s changed. I get now. Thanks. 
So, NM selection CONTINUES to favor the verbally inclined.
I believe, from what I have read on this site, that is because a much larger majority of the winners would be boys (especially Asian boys) with a 50/50 math/English split, as boys GENERALLY do better on math than English. They are trying to spread the scholarship around geographically and somewhat based on sex. There is a recent thread (this site’s search is HORRIBLE) about preponderance of winning NMS with Asian last names in California.
Lol. That california thread was my thread. I was the nerd who crunched the data.
LOL, I thought so, but couldn’t find the d*mn thread.