<p>I am a Semi-Finalist, and just received my October SAT score. I got a 2020, so should I try to take the SAT again and get a better score, or will a 2020 be safe in order to make finalist standing?</p>
<p>That should be fine. However, if you need better scores for admission or scholarships then you should retake.</p>
<p>Add up the following…</p>
<p>Math + CR</p>
<p>then take the multiple choice subscore of the writing and multiply by 10…then add to the M+CR score. What is your total?</p>
<p>mom2collegekids,</p>
<p>If my student has a 1970 following your formula, will that definitely be enough for Finalist standing? Or should my student take it again? Somewhere I saw that a 1960 was okay, but I don’t want to jeopardize finalist standing by not retaking it if its too low. (Has great ACT test scores, so I’m not worried for other college scholarship/admittance purposes).</p>
<p>I was told by NM Corp that 1960 is the minimum using the above formula.</p>
<p>Momlove…</p>
<p>Since the SAT cutoff can change from year to year, I would have my child take the Dec SAT as a back up.</p>
<p>How did you figure the 1970</p>
<p>Mom2collegekids,</p>
<p>I figured the 1970 by using the CR + M + W multiple choice x 10 (as you described in your first post in this thread). I phoned Natl Merit Corp today and they confirmed that their required score is 1960 this year to meet the requirement to advance to Finalist.</p>
<p>Of course, my daughter is right above the required score, which makes me a little nervous. She’s in the top 7% of her class (rigorous high school), has a good recommendation from a teacher (he let her read it), although I’m not sure her essay was really that good (it was okay, just a little bland).</p>
<p>The person at National Merit made it sound that as long as they meet the required score that’s all that’s necessary. Does that sound right to you?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>My CR + M + W multiple choice x 10 totals to be 2050. Is that what National Merit looks at to determine finalists or do they take the essay into account?</p>
<p>You did the calculation correctly. If you still want to call NMcorp to confirm that is up to you.</p>
<p>
Technically, no, but practically, yes. A semifinalist also needs to file a complete, timely, and respectful application, have an acceptable academic record (vaguely defined but not usually a problem for NMSF’s), and obtain the school’s/principal’s endorsement (which usually means no discipline issues). These usually are not problems for NMSF’s, hence “practically”. Remember that 93% of NMSF’s become finalists. If they submit a complete and timely application, it is more like 97+%.</p>
<p>
Your SAT score is fine. As long as you took your essay half-seriously and were not rude in it, it will not disqualify you. You will also need an acceptable academic record and your school’s endorsement.</p>
<p>The question of whether or not the essay matters in selecting scholars is a different matter. Certainly it does not if you receive an “automatic” award (i.e., those designated for any NMF that is admitted to a school or is a child of an employee) from a school or corporation. Possibly, and to an unknown extent, for the NMSC’s own scholarships. It is unclear how the NMS review committee weighs the various parts of the application, although M2CK believes that SAT score plays the critical role.</p>