<p>i got 223 in Cali...</p>
<p>will i be a semifinalist? =[
it says the top 16000 of the 50000...
i am not sure if 223 will make it..</p>
<p>It’s very likely that you will make it since the cut off of california last year was 218 i think, and the cutoffs never change by more than 1 to 3 points</p>
<p>thanks for the answer!</p>
<p>i thought the cut off was around that for just QUALIFYING… so i thought the cutoff would be higher (in the 220’s for sure) to make it to the next round (semifinals). i guess not?</p>
<p>The highest cutoff for any state has been 223 in recent years (and that was a few years ago…recently it’s been like 221).</p>
<p>So, yes, you’ll make it in Calif. 
Congrats.</p>
<p>i thought since 34,000 people don’t make it to semifinals, the cutoff would be higher for this round? hm…</p>
<p>thanks for the replies!</p>
<p>So that list floating around with the scores per state is a list for the cut-off for Semi-finalist status? I always assumed that was for qualifying (IE top 50,000).</p>
<p>Good to hear :D</p>
<p>Approximately 34,000 students are Commended, and 16,000 are Semifinalists (of which 15,000 are eventually Finalists). Commended and Semifinalist statuses are determined wholly by one’s score; if you make the cutoff, it’s ensured.</p>
<p>Alma quote: *i thought since 34,000 people don’t make it to semifinals, the cutoff would be higher for this round? hm…</p>
<p>thanks for the replies! *</p>
<p>Right now, the cutoff is around 200 for the entire nation. It September, we’ll find out what each states’ cut-off is. The highest cut-off in the last year or two has been around 221. A few years ago, the highest cut-off was 223.</p>
<p>It is HIGHLY unlikely (almost impossible) for Calif’s cutoff to go above 200.</p>
<p>almafuerte: The 16000 slots for SF are not allocated on a straight score basis i.e. they do not rank the 50,000 and choose the top 16000. What they do is to allocate a quota for each state based on the number of HS students. So for example, if the California Quota is say 500 students (I do not know the real number I just using a number as an illustration). They will rank all California students and the cut off point is where the 500th student lands. So let us say it is 218 for California. Let us say the Wyoming quota is 20 students and the 20th ranked student from Wyoming has a PSAT score of 201, then the cut off for Wyoming is 201. </p>
<p>The above is a little simplistic but I hope it helps explain why the scores vary from state to state.</p>
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<p>I think you meant to write “220.”</p>
<p>Almafuerte, let me take a shot at your question because I’ve had the same question, and it has been hard to get a clear answer.</p>
<p>That list floating around with the state by state cutoffs? Those estimates are indeed for semi-finalist status. My understanding is that within this pool of 50,000 right now, are both commended and semi-finalist students. What wll separate them in september is the state cutoff. Those whose PSAT scores are below it will officially be designated Commended. Those whose scores are above their state’s cutoff will be designated SF.</p>
<p>Why couldn’t they tell us now since they have everybody’s PSAT scores? I guess it’s because they have to do all that computing (explained in an earlier post) to determine the exact cutoff by state.</p>
<p>I think if your score looks strong compared to last year’s for CA, you’ll be SF.</p>
<p>Congrats!</p>
<p>Yep…thanks for catching my typo…</p>
<p>I meant to write that I doubt that Calif NMSF cutoff will go above 220.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. Looks like I’m definitely in for Semifinalist with a 225 in Oregon. :)</p>
<p>Congrats, Quandary!</p>
<p>Congrats Quandary!</p>
<p>In the fall…Make sure you submit all your paperwork on time and correctly, submit your SAT score to NMCorp, keep your nose clean at school (!!!), and keep your grades up…and you’ll make finalist next spring!</p>
<p>WOW these are all amazing responses- thank you all SO much, you all made the process so much clearer. this is great, thanks everyone!</p>
<p>Hi everyone,
Can somebody point me to these lists referenced above? I’m curious about the chances here in NJ.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>What was your score? </p>
<p>For some reason, I can’t find the link for the NMSF cut-off scores by state. Hopefully someone will.</p>
<p>I imagine that if your score is 221 or higher, you probably have a good chance.</p>
<p>Oh, I get it now. My son got a 202… good, but probably not good enough for NJ. Thanks</p>
<p>Here’s the link for 2010 state cutoffs.</p>
<p>[National</a> Merit Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.collegeplanningsimplified.com/NationalMerit.html]National”>http://www.collegeplanningsimplified.com/NationalMerit.html)</p>