<p>Simple question, answer it.</p>
<p>I probably could have looked around the internet for the answer but I have a feeling this will be faster and take less effort.</p>
<p>Correct me if I’m wrong, but to be a finalist you just have to meet the PSAT score cutoff, right? Then they watch you for the next year and see if you end up winning a scholarship?</p>
<p>If I’m right on that, then you should already know if you were a finalist, because my friend was notified near the end of this past school year. If I’m wrong and there’s a step that comes before finalist, then I’m not sure.</p>
<p>What was your PSAT score? lol</p>
<p>If you got the letter for commended at the end of the past school year, I think you find out in September if you are a semi-finalist, and then from there find out if you’re a finalist. I’m waiting to find out as well.</p>
<p>The letter for commended was just that thing that let you send your psat score to college from the national merit corporation or whatever? Because that’s all everyone at my school who had above like a 205 got…</p>
<p>Yea I’m a little confused now as to which achievement is which, because theres like finalist, winner, and according to you guys semifinalist?</p>
<p>All I know is that the average cutoff for being a FINALIST is 215, which varies from state to state (AP State scholar anyone? :P). Somewhere I saw a chart with the cutoffs by state for one year, and states like Kentucky and Alabama required about a 205 while Cali and New York had about 222. </p>
<p>In texas this past year it was 213, and my friend was notified that he was a finalist… Supposedly they watch the finalists and I believe see how they continue to perform in school, and sometime their senior year they are either notified that they have won a scholarship, or just nothing happens. Lol.</p>
<p>Okay, I’m hoping I know sometime this year because whether I’m a finalist or not might determine whether I apply to certain schools that give large scholarships for national merit finalists.</p>
<p>Anyone know if finalist status gets awarded in time for college apps? (235, so I’m pretty sure I made cutoff)</p>
<p>If it doesn’t get awarded in time (I’m pretty sure it doesn’t), you could e-mail the admissions offices of the colleges you’ve applied to in order to let them know.</p>
<p>Lots of misinformation here. </p>
<p>50k people who scored above 200 or so nationwide get letters at the end of 11th grade. </p>
<p>Then, at the beginning of senior year, 16,000 people become semifinalists based off of PSAT scores varying by state. If you don’t become a semifinalist, you get commended.</p>
<p>Then, during the spring of senior year, 15,000 people become finalists. This is based off of grades and an essay, and is all very mysterious. Finalists are the ones that can get a bunch of awesome scholarships including full rides from certain colleges.</p>
<p>Later on in senior year, about half of the finalists will win some sort of official national merit scholarship, which are worth a few thousand.</p>
<p>@lockn</p>
<p>Spring assumes a semester system with fall and spring, right? If I remember correctly, I found out in late January or early February (which was winter term for my school).</p>
<p>It’s February. This does bother me. The UMD application asks what you national merit level is. The correct answer for many applicants would be, “I’m already commended, but I know I’ll be a semifinalist, and I might end up finalist”.</p>
<p>From National Merit: Letters announcing National Merit Semifinalists will be mailed to schools on Aug. 25, 2009. On Sept. 20, 2009, letters announcing Commended Scholars will be mailed. If your school has truly not received a letter from National Merit by Labor Day, you most likely did not qualify for semifinalist.</p>
<p>Many people aren’t in school yet.</p>
<p>The letter in the spring of your junior year goes to about 50,000 students, and the scores are usually 200 plus and means you are commended. Commended is a line for your resume, but that’s about it. </p>
<p>The goal is to spread out evenly the number of semi finalists across the states - so that is why there are different scores for each state. There is a string on CC with the cut offs for last year. </p>
<p>If you are notified that you are a semi finalist - you have to fill out some paper work by a deadline AND have a SAT score that is comparable. I’m not sure what else is required - but those two things are. (They want to make sure the PSAT is a valid score.)</p>
<p>So most semi finalists can and do become finalists. Semi finalists qualify for scholarships at schools. Finalists, also known as NMF’s … qualify for some scholarships. Some schools give full rides to NMF’s. Again, another string on here lists a lot of those schools. You can find the information on a school’s website. </p>
<p>I have not found any merit scholarships for commended scholars. I believe Lockn is right -in that there are some other official NMF scholarships as well.</p>
<p>okay. I got a 215 in Nebraska so I’m pretty sure I’ll be a semifinalist although I’m cutting it close. I got 2050 on my SAT, **** my life. If I take it in November will it be too late? (I want to take SAT II’s in October)</p>
<p>You’ll probably be OK. I think the consensus was that 2000+ is sufficient.</p>