I got 202 and heard that 202 is the commended cutoff. I haven’t heard anything from my counselor or gotten anything in the mail. Meanwhile, the semifinalists at my school were notified. Also, does the cutoff mean that you have to be above 202 or does having a 202 count???
Please help! Thanks!
Cutoff is based in each state. Look up your home state for stats. My S got 214 but our state is 218 so no semi-finalist 
No, Commended is one national level not set by state, this year it’s 202. If you got 202 or above but did not make NMSF in your state you will be Commended. I think Commended students get their certificates in October, they come through the school and are not mailed directly to students (unless homeschooled)
@tonymom Aw, that really sucks! The cutoff for my state was 209 and my friend got 208… yeah the frustration was real. At least your son got commended!
@3scoutsmom Thanks!
Commended status is a national cutoff, though. According to posts in the class of 2016 national merit thread, the commended cutoff is indeed 202, which means a 202 counts. Congratulations! If the semifinalists have already been notified, maybe you should go talk to your counselor to settle your mind.
@tonymom, I feel your pain. The semifinalist cutoff in our state last year was 219 and DS just missed it too. But with PSATs like that, I’m sure that your S will have excellent SATs to match and great options for college.
http://www.nationalmerit.org/nmsp.php
According to this link the commended students get notified in late September