Below we cover the the most frequently asked questions about the National Merit Scholarship Program. Please see our National Merit Semifinalist Cutoffs page for the latest information on actual and projected Selection Index cutoffs by state.
What is the National Merit Scholarship Program and how do you enter?
The NMSP is a program administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in cooperation with the College Board to recognize high achieving high school seniors. Some recognition levels are based purely on junior PSAT/NMSQT scores, while other levels have additional qualifications (explained below). The NMSC gives out approximately $50 million in scholarships each year, and some colleges provide lowered—or even free—tuition to recognized students, multiplying the net impact of National Merit severalfold.
You must take the PSAT/NMSQT as a high school junior and either attend high school in the United States or U.S. Territories or be a U.S. student studying abroad. On your PSAT score report, you will see a section with your Selection Index and how you answered the questions about your entry eligibility. If there is an asterisk next to your Selection Index, it means that NMSC believes that you are ineligible.
What if I couldn’t take the PSAT?
Every year students miss the PSAT for legitimate reasons such as illness. To allow those students the opportunity to compete in National Merit, NMSC has a process known as alternate entry. Students must make a written request to NMSC for an alternate entry application form. The application itself must be signed off on by your principal or counselor and postmarked no later than April 1 after the missed PSAT/NMSQT.
What is the Selection Index?
The Selection Index is a weighting of your PSAT component scores to determines the level of your recognition within the initial stages of the National Merit program.
How is the Selection Index calculated?
The Selection Index is double the sum of your Reading and Writing (RW) score, and Math score divided by 10. Alternatively, you can simply drop the last zero on your section scores, double the RW and add the Math. For example, a student with scores of 690 RW and 720 M would have a Selection Index of 69 x 2 + 72 = 210. You cannot directly calculate a Selection Index from a Total Score (320 – 1520). For students entering the competition with an SAT score through Alternate Entry, note that — when calculating a Selection Index — each SAT section is capped at 760. If, for example, you have a 700 RW and 800 Math, your Selection Index would be 70 x2 + 76 = 216.
Why is the Reading and Writing twice as important as the Math?
The emphasis on “verbal” skills has a long history with the NMSP. The digital PSAT no longer has separate Reading and Writing scores, but the RW score is still doubled.
I’ve already received my PSAT scores; how can I find out whether I will qualify for recognition?
Although you can use the Compass projections to estimate whether you are likely to qualify as a Commended Student or Semifinalist, there is no way of knowing your official status until high schools are notified by NMSC in early September of your senior year (sometimes schools hear by late August). Compass has published the cutoffs for the class of 2024 and estimates for the class of 2025. An historical archive dating back more than 15 years can be found here. The Commended cutoff for future classes becomes unofficially known in the April after the PSAT. Compass will report this score and how it may impact Semifinalist cutoffs on our regularly updated cutoffs post.
Will I qualify as a Semifinalist if I am in the 99th percentile for Selection Index according to my score report?
Although approximately 1% of test takers will become Semifinalists, there are a number of reasons why percentile scores are far too inaccurate to determine eligibility. Even the state percentiles that are now on the digital SAT report do not have enough information, because they are actually based on the prior 3 years of scores. Further, the percentile is rounded, and not accurate enough to determine cutoffs.
Why do some states have more Semifinalists and Finalists than other states?
Although Commended Scholars are honored based on a single, national cutoff, NMSC distributes Semifinalists proportionally to states (and District of Columbia and U.S. Territories) based on the number of graduating students in the state. For example, California sees approximately 2,100 Semifinalists each year—the most in the country. It gets 13% of Semifinalists because it produces approximately 13% of high school graduates. Mississippi, on the other hand, typically sees about 135 National Merit Semifinalists, because the state produces a bit more than 0.8% of U.S. graduates. The distribution is completely unrelated to the number of students taking the PSAT in the state.
Why are Semifinalist cutoffs so much higher in some states than in others?
Two things that have impact on cutoffs are participation rates and demographics. In some states, ACT is the dominant test and not as many students take the PSAT. This leaves some students out of the competition and will tend to produce lower cutoffs. Some states have large pockets of extremely qualified students and are particularly competitive. For example, Massachusetts and New Jersey have class of 2024 cutoffs of 222 and 223, respectively. At the other end of the spectrum, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming had NMSF cutoffs of 207 for the class of 2024. The minimum Semifinalist cutoff for a state is the national Commended level. If, for example, the Commended cutoff is at 210, no state can have a Semifinalist cutoff less than 210.
How are Semifinalists set for homeschoolers, boarding school students, or U.S. students studying abroad?
Homeschoolers are treated no differently than other students in a state. U.S. students studying abroad will have to meet the highest state cutoff in the country. For the class of 2024, that was 223. Boarding school cutoffs are the most complex to calculate. Instead of being set at the state level, they are determined regionally. A Northeast boarding school student, for example, must meet the highest cutoff of any state within the Northeast region. NMSC defines boarding schools as schools with predominantly out-of-state students. NMSC considers your state to be where you went to school when you took the PSAT, not your state of residency or the state of your new school.
Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to participate?
NMSC has made this part of the process easier to understand than it was in the past. Students at high school in the U.S. or in U.S. Territories are eligible. Period. Students studying abroad are eligible as long as they are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents of the U.S. (“green card”) or or have applied for permanent residence (the application for which has not been denied) and intend to become U.S. citizens at the earliest opportunity allowed by law.
Will NMSC notify me if I become a Semifinalist?
No. NMSC provides information only to schools until a student becomes a Finalist. Homeschoolers are the exception.
When will my school tell me?
NMSC mails information to schools in late August. Some schools let students know their status in early September. Many schools wait until NMSC officially releases student names to the press in the second week of September. Compass will track all of the latest news on our Semifinalists cutoff page.
Will being a Semifinalist help get me into my first-choice college?
While Semifinalist status is a nice award to list on your application, you should not expect it alone to have a significant impact on your admission chances at most colleges. The recognition tells college that you did well on the PSAT. Your SAT and ACT scores are far more important to colleges; your National Merit status does not add much new information. However, having a high number of enrolled Semifinalists is seen as a badge of honor at some colleges and will factor in their admission decisions. Some colleges have programs specifically to attract National Merit Finalists and offer large merit awards.
Do I need to take the SAT to become a Semifinalist?
No. Commended Student and Semifinalist recognition are based only on your Selection Index and your entry eligibility.
What happens after I am named a Semifinalist?
Semifinalists will receive login credentials for the Finalist application portal. You will need to provide background information and an essay. Your school will need to provide its recommendation and electronically submit your application in the second week of October,
What is the National Merit Finalist essay prompt?
NMSC may change the prompt in future years, but it has been the same for many years. It is broad enough that most students are able to use or slightly rework their Common App essay. For the class of 2024, the prompt was:
“To help the reviewers get to know you, describe an experience you have had, a person who has influenced you, or an obstacle you have overcome. Explain why this is meaningful to you. Use your own words and limit your response to the space provided.”
There is not a word limit specified, but the essay must fit within the provided space (approximately 3500 characters). Expect to keep your essay to 600 – 650 words.
Do I need to take the SAT or ACT to become a Finalist?
Among the requirements to proceed from Semifinalist to Finalist is that you receive a “confirming score.” This score helps validate that you can, on an official SAT or ACT test date, achieve a high score and confirm your testing skill.
Can a high ACT score be a confirming score?
Yes, the ACT can be used to confirm PSAT results.
How high of an SAT score do I need for a confirming score?
The confirming score is determined each year by NMSC and is calculated in the same way as the PSAT Selection Index. The confirming score is set nationally, so it does not matter what Semifinalist cutoff you met. The confirming SAT Selection Index (SSI) generally falls at or near the Commended cutoff.
The easiest calculation of the SSI is from your section scores. Drop a zero, double your RW, and add your Math score. For example, Student X might have a total score of 1450, with section scores of 720 RW and 730 M. Student X’s SSI would be 2(72) + 73 = 217. It’s possible for a student with a lower total score to have a higher SSI. Student Y has a total score of 1430, with section scores of 750 ERW and 690 M. Student Y’s SSI would be 2(75) + 69 = 219.
You cannot determine your SSI directly from your total score. One student scoring 1400 might have a high enough SSI, whereas another student with a 1400 might fall short. You must know your RW and Math scores.
How high of an ACT score do I need for a confirming score?
NMSC wants to have a level playing field, so it converts components of the ACT score into an SAT Selection Index. In order to do that, you need to use the official concordance tables published by ACT/College Board. There is no SAT Science, so NMSC does not look at ACT Science. So discard that score.
Step 1: Add your ACT English and ACT Reading scores
Step 2: Use the ACT E+R to SAT RW concordance table to find the concordant SAT RW score based on the sum in step 1. Be sure that you are going in the correct direction when using the concordance tables. ACT E+R to SAT RW is not always the same as SAT RW to ACT E+R.
Step 3: Use the ACT M to SAT M table to find the concordant SAT M score based on your ACT Math score.
Step 4: Calculate your SAT SI: drop the last zeros (i.e. divide by 10), double your RW, and add your Math score. You want this number to be at least as high as your class year’s Commended Student score.
Example:
A student has ACT scores of 32E, 34M, 33R, and 31S. Science is not used. The sum of E and R is 65. In the concordance tables, this is equivalent to a 700 RW. The 34 Math is concordant to a 760. This student’s SAT Selection Index is 70×2 + 76 = 216.
When do I have to take the SAT or ACT for the score to be ‘confirmed’?
You can use any SAT or ACT score from the fall of your sophomore year to December of your senior year. This means that you could have received an SAT confirming score even before taking the PSAT/NMSQT. NMSC recommends that you not wait until the December test date.
How do I submit scores to NMSC?
NMSC does not automatically know your SAT and ACT scores. You must submit them just as you would to a college. The College Board code for NMSC is 0085. The ACT code is 7984. Please verify these codes before submitting. Since NMSC will use your highest scores, there is no penalty for choosing them as one of your free score recipients when you register for the SAT or ACT.
Can I superscore SAT or ACT dates in order to reach the confirming score cutoff?
No. NMSC will use your highest scores, but will not superscore across test dates.
If I have achieved a confirming score, is there any reason to shoot for a higher score?
The requirement for a confirming score is simply true or false when applying to become a Finalist. However, your test scores are used to evaluate you during the scholarship phase of the competition. Depending on your goals, you may want to optimize your score.
Can sophomores qualify for National Merit recognition?
No. Even if your scores are high enough, you will not be eligible for National Merit as a sophomore unless you will be graduating a year early. In that case, you should contact NMSC or your principal about next steps as NMSC has no way of automatically knowing your eligibility.
Is it hard for a Semifinalist to become a Finalist?
Of the 16,000 Semifinalists, 15,000 become Finalists. You must go through an application process to proceed to Finalist level and then to compete for National Merit Scholarships. As part of the application, you must meet citizenship requirements, have a satisfactory academic record, achieve a confirming score on the SAT or ACT (and submit the scores to NMSC!), write an essay, and receive a recommendation from your principal. More information can be found in the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide. In the Semifinalist letter from your school (it will NOT come from NMSC unless you are homeschooled), NMSC will provide details about how to begin the process online.
When will I find out if I am a Finalist?
You will be notified in February of senior year.
Do all Finalists receive scholarships? What is a National Merit Scholar?
Only about half of Finalists become National Merit Scholars and receive a National Merit Scholarship. There are three types of scholarships for Finalists, each with its own criteria. A student can only receive one type of scholarship. Approximately 4,000 Finalists receive scholarships from sponsoring colleges with renewable stipends of $500–$2,500 per year. Students must be accepted by a sponsoring institution and list the college as first choice in order to receive a college-sponsored award. These awards are not transferable to another college. Corporations sponsor approximately 1,000 awards for Finalists each year with a minimum one-time value of $2,500 or $1,000 renewable. Most of these awards are to Finalists who are the children of employees. Approximately 2,500 students receive awards of $2,500 directly from National Merit. These awards are highly competitive and are allocated proportionally by state. A list of sponsoring colleges and corporations can be found in the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide.
I’ve heard about colleges that provide full-ride awards. Why are college-sponsored awards only listed as $500–$2,500 per year?
Colleges can also choose to provide additional awards to National Merit Finalists. These are not technically National Merit Scholarships, but they can be the most important awards for many students. Which colleges offer these awards and how much they offer can change from year to year. In recent years, Florida has had a generous scholarship program for National Merit Finalists, and schools such as UT-Dallas and Texas A&M also provide substantial awards. Compass does not maintain a database of scholarships. The National Merit forum at collegeconfidential.com is a useful resource.
Are scholarships available to Commended Students and Semifinalists?
Technically, these students cannot be National Merit Scholars, but approximately 1,100 of them will receive Special Scholarships from sponsoring corporations. As with other corporate-sponsored awards, these are predominantly for the children of employees, although companies can also identify students in a particular region or field of study.
When will I find out if I receive a scholarship?
You will be notified of scholarship status sometime between March and June of your senior year. In order to receive a college-sponsored scholarship, you must note the college as your first choice on the National Merit application. It can be to your advantage not to immediately choose a first-choice college—you can leave it as “Undecided.” You do not want to miss out on a large scholarship because you have listed the wrong college. There is no reason to list a college that does not provide National Merit Scholarships. List your first-choice among college that do provide scholarships. You can update your choice via the Online Scholarship Application portal.
Art,
I am a sophomore who took the PSAT/NMSQT this year and I received a score of 1250 out of 1520 and a selection index of 190. I would like to know what you would recommend me to do for next year when I take the SAT.
Luis,
Oh, there are so many possibilities. Compass provides tutoring for the SAT, so I’m obliged to put that out as an option. A class is the right option for some students. For a more study-as-you-go approach, I would recommend linking your College Board PSAT account to a Khan Academy account. This will help you develop a plan of free online study with the Khan program. If you take any practice tests (you should), only use official exams. Khan will have these for download.
My son received a score of 224 on his PSAT; so, I believe he’ll qualify in the state of LA. I read your previous comments regarding GPA. Although my son is in an honors or fast track program with a weighted GPA of 3.8 (including honors and eliminating PE and religion) and his unweighted GPA is 3.2, he does have two Cs in honors courses — so it’s anywhere from 2-4 C’s on his semester grades. Will that eliminate his chances of qualifying as a Finalist? Thanks for the insight.
ACC,
Yes, he will certainly be a Semifinalist. Congratulations. I wish that I could speak as definitely about his Finalist chances. NMSC does not release specific standards. I don’t know to what extent they simply like to retain flexibility to assess individual circumstances. I have heard many instances of students being OK with a single C. I don’t know if 2 is too many. Or 3. Or if they also look at how well the student has done in other classes. From the anecdotal stories I have heard, your son may face an uphill battle. All he can do is put his best foot forward by continuing with solid grades through his junior year and put together a good application as a Finalist. You might try contacting NMSC, but they generally don’t want to deal with hypotheticals. To them, your son is not yet being considered as a Finalist.
What are the chances of my CA Junior becoming a Finalist or Scholar for 2018? Her October 2016 PSAT is 1510, with a 227 Selection Index. Her current October SAT is also 1510, which should validate the PSAT score. Is it advisable to retake the SAT for an even higher score? I know she would rather not. She is scheduled to take an upcoming ACT, just so she has a score to compare to the SAT. Any advice you can offer is appreciated. Thanks!
CaliMom,
We know with certainty that she will be a Semifinalist and that she has a confirming score. The only other pieces for Finalist are applying, grades, and school endorsement. I would not recommend retaking for the purpose of NM. For schools that sponsor NM scholarships, your daughter’s scores will be high enough. For corporate scholarships, it *might* increase her chances, but there is no way of knowing for sure. Since these scholarships are $2,500, the cost/benefit may not be there given that uncertainty. I think you are handling things in the right order. After she takes the ACT, you can decide where she stands. Let’s say that she performs poorly on the ACT (just for the sake of argument). I would recommend repeating the SAT at that point. 1510 is a great score, but the inflation of the new SAT scale means that the most selective colleges are going to be expecting scores in the 1500s. She can probably improve her standing given her scores to date. The best situation would be getting a 35/36 and putting the issue to bed.
Art, once again, reading all the threads and learning more from you than anywhere. Another question, from Florida, because I am still confused. My daughter who is a Jr., with a PSAT of 1470, SI 220, and confirming SAT score of 1450- will likely be a semi-finalist for NM? Or will a semi finalist status be determined based on higher SAT confirming scores in our state? If she were to take the SAT again, and gain a higher score, how will that help? Noting that good grades, school recommendation…etc is also necessary, what are the determining factors that move you from semi finalist, to finalist? SI scores or higher confirming SAT scores? And another question, is a 225 the highest score index on PSAT? Can I assume that any higher SI scores than my daughters , accompanied with higher confirming SAT score, will put my daughter out of finalist range for state of Florida?
Busy,
The Semifinalist qualifying SI and the confirming SAT score are both all or nothing hurdles. While the Semifinalist cutoff is established at the state level, the confirming score (SAT) is uniform across all states. You can ignore her SAT score for SF. In fact, you can ignore her PSAT score. All that matters is her PSAT Selection Index. Your daughter’s 220 will be high enough for Florida. The highest possible SI is a 228. The student would have a 760/760 (76×2 + 76 = 228). The degree to which a score exceeds the cutoff, though, is not a factor.
Unlike with the Semifinalist portion where specific counts per state are targeted, NMSC is not trying to manage the number of Finalists. If all students hit their marks, they will all be Finalists. One of those marks is a confirming score on the SAT. Technically it’s more of an SAT Selection Index than it is an SAT score, because it follows the same idea as the PSAT SI. You don’t mention your daughter’s split on the SAT, but let me pretend that her 1450 is a 730 EBRW and 720 M. That gives an SSI of 73×2 + 72 = 218. For the class of 2017 the confirming score was 209, and there is not reason to believe it would change more than a hair. Your daughter is safely above the mark. A high score will not change her chances. As you say, she also needs to have grades, school rec, and a completed Finalist app.
There is a final piece of the puzzle — National Merit Scholars (i.e. the ones who get scholarships). These are pulled from the Finalist ranks (I won’t go into the exceptions) and there are both corporate and college-sponsored awards. Think of this stage as more of an admission committee where the whole matters (not just cutoffs). About half of Finalists will receive some sort of award. At this stage, yes, your daughter may be competing with students with higher scores, but that’s only one among many factors. She’ll also be competing with students with lower scores.
Thank you Art! Her Sat breakdown is 710 EBRW and 740 Math so that’s a 216. I appreciate all your insight and experience, and I think college counselors would benefit from reading your posts, too.
My daughter has PSAT 1450 with si 217 , we live in PA and her new SAT was 1530. She has chance to get semifinal ?
Helena,
There is certainly a chance that PA’s cutoff will decline by a point this year and that your daughter will be a Semifinalist. Her SAT score doesn’t enter into that equation, but it is a wonderful score as she looks ahead to college applications. Should she make Semifinalist, her SAT score would also be high enough to serve as a confirming score for Finalist qualification.
Dear sir,
I also have a similar question for my son.
He scored 1540 in sat in aug 2017, 1450 psat with 217 in oct 2017 (texas). He has a high gpa and all rounder student. He is in top 5 of the school with multiple extra curricular activities and awards. Will he has a chance for semifinalist. ? One more thing, can we do verification of PSAT score ? Thank you
Mom,
A 217 will likely not qualify your son as a Semifinalist in TX (I expect the cutoff to fall in the 220-222 range). I am not aware of any verification process for PSAT scores. I would recommend contacting College Board to see if there is any option.
My son is a freshman and scored 1370, which is 99%. Is there any benefit or reward to this? Or just good practice for junior year?
Becky,
Only the reward of a job well done, I’m afraid. National Merit is limited to juniors.
Hi Art,
Thank you so much for answering all the questions. This is very helpful. My son got 1510 on PSAT and we are from Texas. He is signed up for tomorrow’s SAT but is not feeling well today. We were wondering if he gets a lower score tomorrow can he retake in March and submit that one for “Confirmation Score”?
Thanks!
Worried,
I was out of the country and not able to give you a prompt response. Sorry to hear that your son may not have felt well enough to take the SAT. As for NM, he should be fine either way he decided to go. A 1510 scorer would need to fall dramatically not to reach a confirming score. More importantly, he has plenty of opportunities. A confirming score needs to be obtained no later than the December test, and he only needs a single score that is high enough.
Hello, I’m wondering at my chances of qualifying as a Finalist, since I’m fairly certain I will be a Semi-Finalist. I’m from Florida and received a SI of 225 on the PSAT, with a SAT score of 1510 (780 EBRW and 730 Math), though I’m planning to retake the SAT for a higher score.
Alexandra,
Congratulations! Your PSAT score is high enough to be a qualifying score for NMSF, and your SAT is high enough as a confirming score on the path to Finalist. Your chances of making Finalist are excellent. For you, it will boil down to 3 factors: 1) You’ll need to complete the application when it becomes available after Semifinalists are announced (obvious). 2) Your grades will need to be good (NMSC does not publish a set cutoff). 3) You’ll need to get the thumbs up from your school (rarely withheld).
Hello Art,
We are an American family living in Japan. Our home state is CA. My son, a junior, received 1490 with index of 222. I am wondering what his chances are to qualify as semi-finalist.
Thank you for your informative website and taking the time to answer questions.
Yuko,
If your son took the PSAT at a high school in Japan, then he would fall in a selection unit for U.S. students living abroad. The cutoff for this unit will be at the highest state cutoff. For the class of 2017, that was 222. The trick is that he needs all states to stick at 222. It’s a toss-up situation, so I’m afraid that he will be waiting until the end of August or the first week of September. If he took the test in CA and then you moved to Japan, he would need to make the CA cutoff — usually a notch or so below the top scores.
Apologies for late reply and many thanks for taking the time. I guess we will find out in about 6 months. Best wishes, Yuko
Hello Art,
My daughter is spending her junior year as an exchange student in Taiwan. She made arrangements to take the PSAT and scored a 220. This score would likely gain her semi-finalist status in our state of Arkansas. Do you know she will be held to the same standard as students in our state, or because she took it in Taiwan she would be considered an international student?
Thank you,
Jennifer
Jennifer,
NMSF is based on where a student was “regularly” studying at the time of the PSAT. It sounds like your daughter’s junior year was entirely in Taiwan, so she will likely be treated as a U.S. student studying in a foreign country. It is possible that “regularly” does not apply to an exchange student situation. You may be able to find out more from NMSC.
Hello Art,
Can you please clarify what commended means? Is there any benefit to be awarded the commended status on the PSAT? The reason I ask is that we are using some of the college cost calculators and there is a checkbox for “I am a National Scholar”. Does that only pertain to those that are semifinalists, or can commended students check that box?
Sharon,
Strictly speaking, Commended Student is just one of several honor levels within the NMSP. It sounds like the calculator is referring to National Merit Scholars — those that receive scholarships. The order is Commended -> Semifinalist -> Finalist -> Scholar. There are some Special Scholarships that can be awarded to Commended Students (a parent might work at a company that sponsors scholarships in these cases). I’m not sure how accurately the calculator could consider all of the permutations, but I hope that explains how to answer the question.
My son (class of 2018) got a 1490 in PSAT/NMSQT in October 2016. His index is 222. We’re in CA. His SAT score from January 2017 is 1530. He has a perfect 800 Math score in SAT (twice), PSAT (760/760), subject SAT Math (800). His unweighted GPA so far is 4.25. Based on all of the above and past index information for the state of CA, will he be able to qualify as a semi-finalist? He is also in the top 10% of his class.
Ravi,
Only his PSAT Selection Index will matter for Semifinalist status. I expect 222 to be high enough to qualify. By “expect,” I mean more likely than not. His SAT score will matter as a confirming score to advance from Semifinalist to Finalist. His 1530 will certainly be high enough. His scores and grades would also come into play in the stage from Finalist to Scholar (scholarship award recipient).
Hi Art! Thanks for this article; it’s helped me so much. Can you explain more about how the $2500 Scholarship is awarded? How many of the Finalists is it given to compared with those receiving corporate and college scholarships? Is it based on the highest scores and best grades, or is it more random? Is there a further application after that to become a finalist, or are you simply notified one day? If I am finalist and know I won’t receive money from a company or college, what are my odds of receiving the $2500?
Thanks!
Eden,
Good questions. The Finalist to Scholar process is a lot like college admission — NMSC factors in scores (SAT and PSAT), grades, strength of curriculum, school recommendation, and student essay. There is not simply a score cutoff. The big difference from college admissions is that you are primarily competing against others in your state.
Once a student becomes a Semifinalist, she receives an access code to an online application. Completing this application is one of the conditions for making Finalist. After that, your work is done. You’ll be notified in late March about National Merit $2,500 Scholarships. There are about 7,500 scholarships given each year, but about 4,000 come from colleges. About 2,000 scholarships are sponsored by corporations. While these are usually for the children of employees, they are sometimes given out to students in a given area (for example, the vicinity of a corporate headquarters). The remaining 2,500 are directly from National Merit and are one-time awards of $2,500. Finally, there are 1,200 Special Scholarships, which are identical to corporate-sponsored scholarships except that students do not have to be Finalists (this is important, for example, if a company plans on giving 10 scholarships to the children of employees, but only 7 of the children are Finalists). If you think that you will only be eligible for one of the 2,500 scholarships, then your odds — if things were random — would be 1 in 6. Your chances, though, will be impacted by how well you stack up against other students in your state or selection unit.
I should have pointed out that for students hoping for a college-sponsored scholarship, their work is not done when the Finalist application is submitted. They have to worry about deadlines that colleges set (colleges may give out a limited number of scholarships on a first-come, first served basis). Also, a student can only receive a college-sponsored scholarship from a school designated as first choice. There is time to adjust that choice to match where the student wants to go and who is offering the most money, but it is something students and parents need to pay attention to. I know that this doesn’t apply to Eden, but I didn’t want to leave it unsaid.
HI Art,
My son took SAT on 8th grade through Dude TIP on DEC 2016, and he got score 1400. And I understand that the score won’t stay in his school board record unless I request it. Question 1: Should I request his scores to be part of his permanent record, because his score was good on a 8th grade student. Questions 2: If I request it, will it affect when his apply for the National Merit Scholarships in the Junior year. Thank you!
Gloria,
I wouldn’t worry about it either way. Admission officers don’t use 8th grade scores. Some students mature earlier than others; colleges care about where a student is before he or she enters college. Students don’t receive extra credit for achieving a high score earlier than other students. It will also not effect National Merit in any way. The junior year PSAT is the qualifier for Semifinalist status, and confirming SAT scores (for Finalist status) must be within the Oct 10th grade to Dec 12th grade period.
I would congratulate your son on his excellent score and then get ready for him to shine in high school. It’s that last part that colleges will care about.
My son graduates from high school in Texas in 2018. His PSAT selection index is 221 (730,750). He took the SAT and didn’t confirm his results. (720,730, 6-4-6)
The selection index is 217. How many times do you retake the exam for confirmation? Do you forsee the selection index on the PSAT as a qualifying score?
Lisa,
It’s somewhat odd terminology that NMSC uses. A “confirming score” only needs to confirm that a student got a high score on the SAT. It does not have to match the level attained on the PSAT. Last year the minimum confirming score (expressed as a Selection Index) was 209. It won’t be announced for some time what the level will be for the Class of 2018, but your son’s score will certainly be sufficient. It’s likely — but not certain — that his 221 SI will qualify him as a Semifinalist.
Junior, Mississippi, Selection index on 2016 PSAT is 227. Will have to transfer senior year to another school. Will take SAT in June 2017. How does transferring school affect National Merit status?
Anonymous,
NMSF is determined based on where you were in school when you took the test. It sounds like you may have transferred within the state (not that it would matter with your score!). What you’ll need to pay attention to come notification period is that your old school catches up with your new. I wouldn’t worry much about it, as there is time between initial announcement and Finalist applications to work out kinks. NMSC is helpful in this regard. Congratulations!
Thank you for an enlightening FAQ that more than covers everything we need to know about everything up until finalist. My question is, What makes the difference between finalist and scholarship winner, particularly in the essay? How much does the essay matter in the final selection? Is it better to give an overview of accomplishments and goals or to focus on 1-2 distinguishing traits? Are there certain factors that are more valued, like serious community service or overcoming struggle? Does the “Scholar” in the title mean our children should emphasize scholarly traits like love of learning/teaching?
Process: We understand there are many different awarding bodies/corporations and we are not eligible through employment or geography. Do they all read the applications and essays, applying their own criteria? Or does NMSC read everything and do the selecting for each scholarship? Or something in between, like NMSC gives a composite profile from which corporations etc choose their awardees?
Thanks for any light you can shed!
Curious,
The best way to think about the the move from Finalist to Scholar is by analogy to college admissions. There is not a single factor that determines the leap (well, we’ll talk about an exception later). NMSC looks at things holistically. An overview is not the most effective college application essay. Insight into a student is typically achieved by shaping a narrative. The Finalist application essay is usually a broad prompt such as “Describe your personal characteristics, accomplishments, primary interests, plans, and goals. What sets you apart?” They don’t literally expect you to touch upon all of those things in 500 words. I wouldn’t read too much into “Scholar.” Yes, NMSC scholarships are very much focused on academic/testing performance, but that doesn’t mean the essay has to be narrowly tuned. Semifinalists will receive more information on this year’s prompt when they are given access to the Finalist application in September.
NMSC handles all scholarship awards — i.e. they do not pass along the candidate files from which sponsors can choose. They apply any criteria imposed by the sponsors. It becomes quite the puzzle for them in the spring. A student can only receive a single National Merit award. So a student accepting admission to a college that provides an automatic award may opens a spot for an award to another Finalist. This also touches on the “exception” that I mentioned above. Some of the largest awards are available to any Finalist accepting admission to a sponsoring college (as their first choice with NMSC). In those cases, the quality of the essay is essentially irrelevant. Some colleges limit the number of scholarships available, though, so I encourage all students to do the best job possible on the Finalist application. Consider it an additional college application (and one that is not all that hard to complete).
How is the selection index calculated if you used an SAT score for alternate entry to the contest? My daughter had a severe concussion in the fall of her Junior year and could not take the PSAT. She applied for alternate entry and is using her SAT scores taken in the spring of 2017.
Lisa,
My understanding is that, for alternate entry, the Selection Index from an SAT is calculated as if it were a PSAT. Double the EBRW score, add the Math score, and drop a zero (or drop the zero right from the start). For example, if your daughter received a 730 EBRW / 710 Math, her SI would be 73×2 + 71 = 217. If 217 were the cutoff in that example, your daughter would qualify. What’s unusual about an SAT SI is that they can go as high as 240, because SAT scores go from 200-800 rather than 160-760 as on the PSAT. AFAIK, NMSC does not distinguish between the two tests (and would not have a legitimate way of doing so even if they wanted). I hope things go well for your daughter.
Art, when do you anticipate NMSC whll announce what the Index needed to confirm semi-finalist status? Thanks.
Scott,
NMSC tends to be squirrelly regarding the confirming score (and I’ll happily eat my words if they ever start publishing the figures!). They often won’t confirm the confirming score until after Semifinalists are announced in early September (the notification of schools happens at the end of August, but the press release is in September). Anyone with an SAT Selection Index of 211 or higher should rest easy. How much lower it might be is still an open question.
When will we hear what the state cutoffs are for 2018?
Bonnie,
NMSC will begin mailing out notifications to schools near the end of August. Results start dribbling in once the mail begins arriving. We hope is to compile a complete list as soon as possible (NMSC does not itself publish a list of cutoffs for public consumption).
Art,
Thank you for your informative site. 3 questions for you:
1- My son got a 222 NY NMSC Selection Index and 36 ACT score. He would only take the SAT if needed for Finalist status so we’re wondering if he should take it in Aug to get it out of the way or wait until confirmation of SemiFinalist status given the cutoff uncertainty.
2- Also, if he takes the SAT for a NM Finalist confirming score, is the Essay required?
3- He got a 9 on the ACT Writing. Would a higher score on the SAT Essay help offset this lower score with College Admissions Officers?
Thanks,
Grateful Mom
Grateful,
1) Sorry that my response is delayed. Given his ACT score and his SI, I might wait. Getting a sufficient score will not be a problem for him, so unless he has conflicts with the fall tests, he can easily show up and get a confirming score.
2) No. The Essay is not used at all for NM.
3) Admission offices do not compare scores across tests in that way. His 9 is a common score among students at elite institutions, so it should not hold him back.
Hi Art,
I am from Michigan, My PSAT SI score is 219 ( 730 + 730 = 1460). I saw a post on your site that Michigan SI likely be 219. Hopefully that will place me in the semi finalist (if the state cut of is true). I have taken SAT twice with, with scoring first time 1480 ( 690 + 790) with SI =2*69 + 79 = 217 and second time 1470 (720 + 750) with SI = 2*72 + 75 = 219 (or if they allow super score then super score (720 + 790 = 1510) with SI = 2*72 + 79 = 223.
Q1) Does the National Merit consider super scoring for the “CONFIRMING SCORE”?
Q2) Should I submit both scores or better of submitting the second SAT test score which matches with PSAT SI score?
Q3) What is meant my “CONFIROMING SCORE” ?. Does it mean that it should be equal or more than the state index score?
Thank you for making a difference in the life of millions of students.
Congratulations, Ajay!
To my knowledge, NM does not superscore. However, your SAT scores are all sufficient as confirming scores. The “confirming score” is simply a national cutoff that usually falls at the Commended level or just below. I would submit both scores to NMSC. It won’t matter for Finalist consideration, but the two scores may be of benefit during the Scholar round.
Hey, I’ve become a NMSF. Now onto the next round!
I was wondering about getting to the next round. I have an SAT score of 1500 (760 CRW 740 Math). My unweighted GPA is 4.00, with challenging coursework. My principle seems to really want me to be a finalist, and I’m our school’s only one, so I’m sure her rec will be good. Supposing I have a pretty good essay and EC’s will there really be anything to prevent me from getting Finalist? Like is my SAT “good enough” to confirm? Is there one thing that could really wreck my chances?
Supposing I do receive Finalist position, what is the likelihood of received one of the $2500 scholarships that National Merit gives out? Should there be something I focus on to give me the best chance? Like should I retake my SAT again (I really don’t want to b/c I’m focusing on ACT), or will I be fine by not taking it again.
Thanks so much for all of your help!!
Tyler,
Great job. Your SAT score will be high enough as a confirming score, which is the same for all students across the country. NMSC has not yet announced the final figure, but it will be around 209-211 in terms of an SAT Selection Index. By comparison, your SAT gives you a 76×2 + 74 = 226 SAT SI. I don’t see any flaws in your Finalist components, so you should pass through easily.
It’s not really possible to give you odds on how likely you are to win a scholarship or what score you will need. I can give you a few factoids. The awards are distributed across the country much like Semifinalist slots. In general, test scores of Finalists are going to be higher in states that had high Selection Indexes. The average SAT for Scholars in 2015 was 2230 on the old SAT. The concordant value on the new SAT is 1530. You shouldn’t view that as a threshold, though; it is simply a correlation. There are about 2,500 winners of $2,500 scholarships. Since students can’t win two types of NM scholarships, you could say that there are about 9-10,000 students eligible for those awards (the others win college or corporate-sponsored awards). Is the possibility of a small increase in your chances for a $2,500 award worth distracting you from the ACT? I’d recommend against it. You’ve already got an excellent portfolio.
Where can I find a comprehensive list of colleges that offer full-ride National Merit Finalist scholarships?
Kathy,
Unfortunately, no such list exists — at least not in up-to-date form. I generally point students and parents to this list, which is dated, and to the College Confidential forums where parents share current information with other parents. Colleges are constantly adjusting their scholarship programs.