<p>Hi, I have a few questions about becoming a semi-finalist and a finalist.</p>
<p>1) Is becoming a semi-finalist solely based on PSAT score? Being 99th percentile in your state?
2) When do you find out if you are a semi-finalist?
3) Is becoming a finalist solely based on PSAT score also?
4) When do you find out if you are a finalist?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>If you do a search on cc you will find a lot of very helpful information about this . Each state has its own cutoff score, and you will hear in the fall what your score is, and in Dec/Jan if you are a semi finalist.</p>
<p>In September you will hear if you are a semifinalist based on the cutoff score of your state. Search for previous years’ scores to get an idea. Last year, several states’ scores rose as much as 4 points.</p>
<p>If you make semifinalist, you send in your SAT and an essay. You hear about finalist status in late January as I remember. 95% of semifinalists advance based on sat, Gpa and essay and I assume by not getting arrested.</p>
<p>Right-- short of failing to show similar SAT scores, failing to complete the essay/application and becoming an axe murderer, most semi finalists advance to finalist status.</p>
<p>Okay, so Semi-finalist is SOLELY based on score cutoffs. And you’ll find out if you are SF before college apps are submitted.</p>
<p>National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) notifies the high schools of their NMSF’s at the end of August (D1’s GC let us know on 8/31) and students get notified mid september. Some HS’s let their students know as soon as they do but others see the news embargo notice & don’t tell their students till the middle of September. There will be a list that starts in this forum at the end of August where people post what they know the lowest cutoff is for each state.</p>
<p>The packet that has to go back to NMSC by early October includes: endorsement by the school for the candidate, a transcript, and an essay by the student. Confirming SAT scores (generally anything over a 2000 is OK) are due by the end of the year. The December SAT date is the last one that can count. </p>
<p>15,000 of the 16,000 NMSFs advance to NMF.</p>
<p>Just clarifying that semi-finalist status is based on cut-off scores by state, but it is NOT necessarily the top 1%. In Texas, for instance, it tends to be scores in the top .6 - .75% Some states are higher, some lower. So even if you know you are in the top 1% for your state, it is not a guarantee of semi-finalist status.</p>
<p>Okay, I see. Thanks.</p>
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<p>No, the semifinalist cut off is a score that allows National Merit to recognize a number of semfinalists that equals the top 1/2 of 1% of High School graduates from that state. So, hypothetically if only 10% of the graduates took the PSAT, then the top 5% of scores from that state would be semifinalists. Conversely, if every High School graduate took the PSAT from another state, then one would need to score in the top 1/2 of 1% from that State to become a semifinalist. Consequently, there is a built in incentive to take the PSAT and become a semifinalist from states where students mostly take the ACT.</p>
<p>what is the essay usually on?</p>
<p>so if I take the PSAT as a junior October 2012, I have until when to take and submit an SAT score? </p>
<p>According to my understanding, until December 2013?</p>
<p>Yes, but you likely will take it long before that (most people make their first attempts midway through junior year). That leaves time to try again later if you are not happy with your score, and also leaves a date or two open for subject test takes/retakes. Don’t forget you may need a Saturday for ACT, too. 
You might find it suits you better (D2 did not do well on the one practice exam for the ACT she took, then scored a 35 on the actual test). And if you have extracurriculars that have Saturday events, sometimes that can interfere with the SAT dates. So don’t wait until fall of senior year to take it.</p>