<p>177, I wasn’t really sure about it going in. I’m really disappointed in myself about it, too.</p>
<p>@America: No, the College Board won’t send you anything back. I sent them an e-mail before I found out my score, saying my report was lost in the mail, and I got this reply:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>i got a perfect score ;)</p>
<p>Thanks, hischoolstudent. That clears things up, and makes me feel a bit better about my result. I was actually quite certain that making the cut-off didn’t mean much in terms of scholarships.</p>
<p>Still, what’s the advantage of an individual who scored a 240 over one who scored a 220 (and made the cut-off)? Would both be in the same “good enough” boat, or would the perfect score have a better chance of grabbing a scholarship? </p>
<p>Also, do most of the 15,000 finalists generally get some sort of scholarship?</p>
<p>CR 75 (agh could have gotten an 80 with a -1, but missed one that i totally don’t remember screwing up on)
M 80
W 79</p>
<p>for a 235…thot i had a 240 when i ended the test, realized i had no more than a 239 about a week ago, and then this oh well it doesnt matter cuz the cutoff is so far below</p>
<p>@besjbo
there is no advantage, I dont even think the scores are part of the scholarship app though you would need to double check this.
—Half or so of 15k get official scholarships and most of the rest get school or company sponsored. Very few get nothing, as the school sponsored ones are automatic if you go there. Maybe a thousand or so go to an Ivy or such and dont get anything??? just a guestimate</p>
<p>M:80
W:79
R:73
PSAT: 232</p>
<p>M:780
W:800
R:740
SAT:2320 (first time)</p>
<p>Coincidence?</p>
<p>
And those are just the ones that begin with A. There are quite a few of these, and, as somebody noted, there are corporate awards as well. The $2500 scholarships are not that much, but they are awfully nice to have. People can use those at any school, including Ivies.</p>
<p>Finally received my score report in the mail today. </p>
<p>76 CR (Missed 2)
61 M (Missed 9)
75 W (Missed 2)</p>
<p>The cutoffs for NMSC are decided on a state-by-state basis, right? According to my score report, I scored in the 98th percentile. Are some states’ cutoffs lower than the national 99th percentile score? Do you think that the cutoffs will rise a lot this year? (A lot of people have been commenting on how easy it was this year…)</p>
<p>@apu99992- same happened to me last year.</p>
<p>@besjbo- I don’t remember where I read it, but when I was working on my semifinalist application they listed the criteria used to determine finalists and scholarship recipients, and test scores was among the few listed. There is perhaps a very slight advantage to one who has a 240 over one who scored the cutoff, but I think they put much more weight on the SAT, so the PSAT will not be a determining factor.</p>
<p>I’m not getting this year’s scores at Collegeboard - they still want the access code when I log in.</p>
<p>@flashpoint- yes, for some states the 99th percentile is below the national average, including Indiana. 212 is borderline for Indiana, but there’s really no telling what the cutoff will be until you find out in September.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nationalmerit.org/annual_report.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nationalmerit.org/annual_report.pdf</a></p>
<p>look at page 9…I find this extremely interesting. CB claims semifinalists are the top 1% in each state- yet many states have well above 1% of their program entrants make semifinalist status. I find especially interesting that the states with the typically highest cutoffs have less than 1% make semifinalist standing (where lowering the score would allow them to have their full 1%) and states with some of the typically lowest cutoffs have over 1% (where raising the cutoff would eliminate the excess).</p>
<p>I think that the cutoff is not determined by the 99th percentile of the state’s scores, but by allotted slots per state based on population (regardless of the percentage of students who take the PSAT).</p>
<p>^Yeah, that’s how I thought it was done, since they can’t raise the allotted number allowed into the NMSC. That means that states like CA have more stringent entry requirements, while states like Wyoming (and apparently Indiana) have less stringent standards. </p>
<p>Yeah, 212 is borderline, so I’ll just have to wait. I’ll get Commended, at least.</p>
<p>My S got his score yesterday. He got 213 (m:80, w:64, cr 69). In the past 4 yrs, Ohio’s cutoffs were as follows: 212, 211, 213, 211. Also I am so confused about the percentile. He is in a 98th percentile nationwide. Does that automatically eliminate him from the semifinalist since the index needs to be in the 99th percentile?</p>
<p>^@bei- that does not eliminate him. If those are the cutoffs from the last four years I’d say he has a pretty good shot.</p>
<p>@apu99992 My SAT and PSAT scores also agreed!</p>
<p>Can someone elaborate on this stringent cutoff issue? I thought it was just the 99th percentile in each state? With CA, NJ, MA having much higher cutoff scores b/c they have a larger % of smart students? Guess this is not the case</p>
<p>^It is supposed to be the 99th percentile in each state. States that have a higher population (CA, NJ, etc.) generally have higher cutoffs because they have limited amounts of spots in the NMSC, since spots are doled out by state population.</p>
<p>States like Indiana, Ohio, and Alabama have more spots to fill up in the NMSC, so their cutoffs are less stringent in order to allow them to fill in those extra spots. It sounds unfair, and some people advocate for a set cutoff (99th percentile nationally), but that would allow states with higher populations to grab more spots in the NMSC, which would be unfair to people who wouldn’t normally make it (like the Southern states in general, who all have cutoffs below the national 99th percentile).</p>
<p>besjbo…I think all the bases were covered by other posters, but since D1 in a NMSF from MI this year I thought I’d chime in just to wrap everything up. Your score will almost certainly qualify you for NMSF status as the state cutoff only tends to vary by a few points at most. You won’t receive official notice until next fall, and it will come through your school. In order to become a finalist, you must have (and maintain) an academic record requisite with your PSAT score (i.e. no fluke scores) and achieve a qualifying SAT score which “confirms” your PSAT score. Historically, anything near or above 2000 on the SAT satisfies the requirement. There are some scholarships which are awarded based on NMSF status (Alabama offers full tuition I believe) but most of them are awarded based on NMF status. As others have said, 15,000 of the 16,000 semifinalists usually make it. Those that don’t normally either don’t take the SAT at all or maybe onesies twosies that happen to not get a qualifying score. Bottom line, if you make SF you’ll almost certainly make finalist. The $2500 scholarship is really minimal compared to what other scholarships you might get. Most “university sponosored” national merit scholarships are $1K-$2K per year for four years ($1K guaranteed and up to the additional $1K based on financial need) but that tops the one-time $2500 right off the bat. You can only accept one “official” NM scholarship so if you’re awarded the $2500 you’ll have to choose between that and a “university sponsored” award. The big buck scholarships that Alabama, Auburn, and others offer are not considered “official” NM scholarships, but are instead unique to the university itself and can be awarded in conjuction with your one “official” NM scholarship. If you were to be awarded a corporate NM scholarship, that would fall into the same category as the $2500 or the $1K-$2K and you’d have to choose one of those but again that wouldn’t affect your “big buck” award. To sum up:
1. Congrats!!
2. Take the SAT if you haven’t already. If you have, I believe a junior year score can qualify you as well.
3. Read through this thread to see some of the scholarships currently being offered to National Merit students. These can change from year to year, but it’ll give you a starting point. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html</a>
4. Get your counselors involved in finding you opportunties and offers. D1’s school was clueless about the doors that NM status could open, probably because most of the best offers are from southern schools.</p>
<p>I don’t know why people keep saying the NM cut-offs only fluctuate by 1 or 2 points. I have seen Nevada’s cut-off fluctuate by as much as 6 points from one year to the next ( 202 to 208 in one year).</p>