<p>What do you guys recommend? Should I just study for the SAT I and expect the PSAT to be easier than that, or should I get a book specificly for the PSAT. Also what specific books? I really, really, want to be a NMSF next year, so also does anyone know about what score I'll have to get (in IL)? Thanks.</p>
<p>bump bump please answer</p>
<p>Might as well just study for SATI.</p>
<p>I think the IL index is around 216. It may change this year, but I do not know.</p>
<p>The PSAT is always easier than the SAT (Always, its designed that way), so studying for the SAT will be helpful in two areas. Go for that...</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm in the same boat as the first poster on this thread. The cutoff for Illinois is historically around 213-214 but strangely increased to 216 last year. I'm curious to hear people's opinions on whether it will go up or down this year. On the collegeboard website, the percentage of people scoring >650 drastically went down. I think this might be good. Math and Writing were slightly up, too.</p>
<p>The Gifted Talented Coord at my school said that its probably either going to go down, or at worst, stay the same.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>get the study guides for the SAT, bcos the ones with the P on the label is essentially the same, w/o writing. Plus, consider taking both psat and sat in the fall of jr year -- if you ace both, you are done.</p>
<p>Does NMSF means National Merit Scholarship Finalist or National Merit Semi-Finalist?</p>
<p>hmm i think it would be semi-finalist</p>
<p>i meant finalist, so on that topic someone explain what the cut is between commended/semi/finalist is and what the real difference is</p>
<p>Commended is a national cut off, supposed to be the top 5% (although I was 96% and didn't get it :-) </p>
<p>Semifinalist is by state. Top half-percent. You become a semifinalist just by taking the test and scoring in this range. A high cutoff would probably be around 225, a low cutoff maybe 210 (I'm just guessing, somewhat)</p>
<p>Finalists - unlike the other two, you dont become a finalist just from taking the test... semifinalists can APPLY, and things such as GPA,EC,SAT scores will be used to determine if you're a finalist... </p>
<p>hope this helps</p>
<p>thanks how many semifinalists become finalists?</p>
<p>Study for the PSAT? Seems worthless. Just take the PSAT as sort of a ... guiding for the SAT. If you really want to study...SAT I studying.</p>
<p>~ 16,000 are Semifinalists
~ 8,000 are finalists</p>
<p>OK so if i am a semifinalist with no SAT score yet and a 4.0 unweighted GPA while taking APs, w/ many ECs, none very special though, is my chance of being a finalist good?</p>
<p>Ok, out of the 16000 Semi, 15000 become Finalists... So basically if you dont die between that time or write the worst essay ever recorded in the history of man... you'll make finalist.</p>
<p>Good Luck Guys!</p>
<p>:)</p>