So all the juniors got their PSAT scores today.
What do you think will be the cutoff for class of 2017?
and how does National Merit actually work?
How many become national merit semifinalists from each state??
Here is a flow chart showing the process. The National Merit Scholarship website has a pretty clear description of the process. Cutoffs by state vary from about 205 to as high as 223 for the Top 1% (unless this years PSAT is already on the 160 scale). States like NJ or MA are very competitive states like AR less so. If you make the cut for consideration you must take an SAT test and provide some information to basically substantiate that your score was not a fluke
Holy moley that’s a long process. So assuming I’m applying ED, the best thing I’d be able to put on my application would be a semifinalist?
Yes. Not an issue. Schools understand that 15K of the 16K NMSFs make finalist.
Hi,
As an earlier comment mentioned, the cutoff score to be a semifinalist depends on the state you are in. From my understanding of the process, the semifinalists need to have scored in the top 1-3% in their state and submit an application to gain Finalist status. If you want an estimate of that score or more information about National Merit, you can go to this website: http://blog.prepscholar.com/psat-score-needed-for-national-merit-scholarship
As another member of the Class of 2017, I also received my PSAT score too, and I’m hoping to also get semifinalist status. That might be hard for me though (California typically has higher cutoff scores than other states).