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FAQ for the PSAT/SAT NMSF/NMF process.... :)
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Replies to: FAQ for the PSAT/SAT NMSF/NMF process.... :)
the above is the thread where the one time $2500 NMF recipients posted their stats.
Right, but rules don't usually take into acct the exceptions. Most kids don't change states during high school.
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/understanding-psat-nmsqt-scores.pdf
New for this year, 5000 more winners:
Of the 1.5 million NMSC program entrants, about
55,000 will earn 2012 PSAT/NMSQT scores high
enough to qualify them for recognition.
NOTE: This is a Resource sticky thread intended to help members find the answers to FAQs about the NM process. This will hopefully aid members in finding answers quickly and cut down on the number of threads that ask the same question. Resource threads are only helpful if they stick to the subject and do not become too long.
Please do not ask individual questions here, instead, start your own New Thread.
This thread is dedicated to members providing GENERAL information concerning FAQs about the NM process, all other posts will be deleted.
Some terms:
PSAT - the Prelimary SAT, about half the length of the SAT and without the written essay.
NM - National Merit
NMSP - NM Scholarship Program
NMSC - NM Scholarship Corporation, the sponsors of the NMSP
NMSQT - NM Scholarship Qualifying Test - the NMSC has designated the PSAT for this role
NMSF - NM Semifinalist, see below for details
NMF - NM Finalist, see below for details
NMS - NM Scholar, see below for details.
What is the National Merit Scholarship Program?
In brief, NMSP is a national competition which identifies high-potential students primarily on the basis of their PSAT scores and awards them scholarships either directly or indirectly through corporate sponsorship or through the colleges they choose to attend.
When do I have to take the PSAT in order to be in the competition?
The PSAT that is taken in October of your junior year is the one that is used. If you miss your school's PSAT date, then have your GC quickly contact NMSC and a SAT score taken shortly thereafter will be used. It is possible to take the PSAT as a sophomore or even as a freshman, but these scores will not qualify for the NMSP competition.
How many people take the PSAT?
As of 2011 the total number of junior testers exceeded 1.5 million. This represented almost 50% of number expected to go on to graduate in 2013.
When do I find out my scores?
Scores are received by high schools by about Thanksgiving week each year. High schools have their own schedules about notifying students of their scores. Some do so almost immediately and some wait until January. Neither the College Board (who administers the PSAT) nor the NMSC contact students directly about their scores.
My school told me I am a "top-scorer". What is that?
A top-scorer is among the 50,000 (top 3.3%) highest scorers among all junior testers. The qualifying score for this is set on a nation-wide basis and is usually around 200-202. Top-scorers are no longer notified directly by the NMSC. Instead high schools are notified in April of their junior year and it is up to the high school to relay that information its qualifying students. Some high schools have been remiss in this duty.
How do I make NMSF and when do I find out?
NNSF's are selected from the pool of top-scorers. Each state has a qualifying "cut-off" score. So, if your junior year PSAT score is "at or above" your state's cut-off score (boarding schools have other cut-offs based on regional groupings), then you'll make NMSF. You'll find out around mid-September of your senior year. However, many schools will tell you in late August.
Is the cut-off determined by the top 1% of scorers in the state?
Only approximately and on average. The cut-offs are determined by allocations based on a state's number of graduating seniors, not by number of PSAT testers. (Note that a group consisting of 1% of scorers is also a group consisting of 0.5% of high school graduates.) Additionally the NMSC does not appear to allow any state to have a cut-off lower than the national score for Commended Scholars.
What happens if I have moved to another state since taking the test?
Qualifications are based on the location of the high school you attended when you took the test, even if you lived in another state when the test was taken or go to school in another state after the test has been taken.
What is the highest PSAT cut-off score of any state? The lowest?
The highest cut-off score has been a 223. The lowest has been around 200 in some years. (Boarding school cut-offs are equal to that of the highest state in their region.)
2012 cutoff scores
AL 209; AK 204 ; AZ 212; AR 202; CA 220; CO 212; CT 218; DE 215; DC 221; FL 211; GA 214; HI 211; ID 207; IL 213; IN 211; IA 207; KS 212; KY 208; LA 209; ME 210; MD 219; MA 221; MI 207; MN 213; MS 204; MO 210; MT 203; NE 207; NV 208; NH 211; NJ 221; NM 208; NY 215; NC 213; ND 200; OH 212; OK 206; OR 213; PA 214; RI 211; SC 208; SD 204; TN 210; TX 216; UT 205; VT 214; VA 217; WA 216; WV 200; WI 207; WY 200; New England Boarding Schools 221; International 221; Commended Scholar 200
Why isn't there a national NMSF cut-off? Why do this state-by-state?
That is a question that should be directed at the NMSC. Suffice to say it has been done this way for many decades. Speculative reasons for this approach by the NMSC: (1) an attempt to compensate for education inequalities across the country; (2) a marketing strategy designed to elicit more regional interest and, thus, more regional sponsorship.
What happens to the other top-scorers?
The 34,000 top-scorers who do not qualify as NMSF are recognized as "Commended Scholars" but do not advance beyond this level. Some colleges will grant merit aid to Commended Scholars.
What are the qualifications to go from NMSF to NMF?
After you've been named NMSF, you'll have some paperwork to fill out (now done online). You'll have an essay to write as well. YOUR SCHOOL will have to fill out a recommendation and include a copy of your grades/transcript. If you have good grades (usually no more than 1 or 2 C semester grades), you haven't been a discipline problem, you have a confirming SAT over the minimum (1960+), you've sent your SAT to the NMSC, you write a decent essay, then you'll make NMF.
I have a few C's on my record. Will that hurt me?
Difficult to say. The NMSC has not disclosed its evaluative policy. Posted accounts here suggest even two C's can mean advancement is blocked, but whether this accounts for school competitiveness, course difficulty or content (academic vs. non-academic, advanced vs. normal) cannot be reliably ascertained. It also is not clear whether allowance is made for 9th grade grades, although anecdotal evidence suggests it is not if they appear on the transcript.
Where are my application forms?
Application is now entirely on-line here: https://osa.nationalmerit.org/
Your school should supply you with your log-in credentials.
Note that you should leave a little time to do this. An essay is required and parental sign-off is also part of the process.
When are students named NMF?
Students who have been named finalists will be notified in February of their senior year.
When are rejected students notified?
Rejection letters are sent out the first week in January of senior year.
How many students go from NMSF to NMF?
16,000 students are named NMSF. 15,000 are named NMF. So, usually the 1000 who don't make NMF have CAUSED the problem by....not getting the SAT score, having bad grades, writing a rude essay, being a discipline problem at school, not doing the NMSF paperwork, not sending SAT score in.
Does my SAT score need to "match" my PSAT score.
NO. It only has to exceed the minimum required SAT score....which is usually around 1960. However, to be safe, try to have at least a 2000.
Keep in mind that the "confirming" SAT score is calculated by excluding the essay contribution to your "normal" SAT score. In other words to get the confirming score (1) find the writing multiple choice subscore on you SAT score report (this will be a two digit number likely 60-80 for most NMSF's), (2) multiply it by 10 and (3) add it to your math and critical reading scores. As a formula the confirming calculation looks like this: CR + M + (W(mc)*10) = confirming score.
Which SAT score is used?
One that is taken between sophomore year and December of senior year. Score must be sent to NMSC...code 0085.
Can my SAT be superscored (i.e., add the best section scores from multiple sittings?)
No.
Which NMF students are named NM Scholars?
Any student who receives an "official" NM scholarship is named a NMS. That scholarship can be from 3 sources:
a) a one time $2500 award from NMSC given to 2500 students
b) a corporate award, usually awarded to the children of employees who sponsor NM scholarships.
c) a NMF scholarship from a college that sponsors official NM scholarships.
Does it matter if my school has a LOT of NMSFs? Will that hurt my chances of making NMF?
NO. Sometimes, a school will get the odd idea that they can't recommend all their NMSFs. Those schools are wrong and they should be corrected.
Will the NMSC use an ACT score instead of a SAT score to go from NMSF to NMF?
NO. It must be a SAT score taken some time during sophomore year through December of senior year. If you have only an ACT score and find you have qualifed for NMSF, you will have the October, November, and December sittings of the SAT in which you can take the SAT in order to qualify for NMF.
Do I have to name a "first choice school" before spring of senior year?
Usually, you do NOT have to name a first choice school before April 30 of senior year. However, check with each of your schools to see if any have a deadline in order to be considered for a NMF scholarship. Some schools want to be named by January or February of senior year.
What can I do to improve my chances of making NMSF?
Use a College Board SAT practice book and practice during the summer. Sign up for the October SAT. It's given about a week before the PSAT. If you're a rising sophomore, see if your school will let sophomores take the PSAT. Also for sophomores, sign up for a spring SAT and get the detailed score report/answer sheet so that you can go over wrong answers. Some schools even permit freshman to sit the PSAT.
My school doesn't offer the PSAT to all junior students. What should I do?
In late August contact your school's GC and find out what you need to do so that you can take the PSAT. You may have to pay a small fee.
Even though I have a qualifying score, my school (1) has not contacted me or (2) doesn't know anything about the National Merit or (3) says I am not on their "list". What should I do?
Often high schools have many concerns, especially as the school year starts, that do not prioritize the interests of their higher-performing students. In particular if your school does not often have NMSF qualifiers they might not be aware of the significance of the notice they received. If there is no one familiar with the NMSP notice can get lost in the office shuffle. It is also possible you might have provided incorrect information about yourself when you took the PSAT last October.
First be aware that only scores taken as a high school junior (or, more precisely, in the second-to-last year of high school) qualify for the NMSP. Sophomore and freshman scores do not count. Assuming you have already talked with your guidance counselor or school administration about your score, you should contact the NMSC directly about your status by calling their office on or after the press embargo date in mid-September. They will be happy to help you. National Merit Scholarship Corporation
If you do confirm you qualify you will have to fill out an on-line form to advance to the NMF level. Your school will also have to provide information on your behalf, too, and you might have to supervise the process to make sure their part is completed in a timely fashion.
Additional information
National Hispanic Recognition Program, see this thread for FAQs, Regional cutoffs, scholarships, etc.:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/hispanic-students/640730-national-hispanic-recognition-program.html
National Achievement Scholarship Program for African-American Students
National Merit Scholarship Corporation - NASP
Historic cutoffs
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/13116405-post1.html
Advice for NMSF qualifiers
Carleton College: Admissions: Tips for National Merit Scholars
Practice Tests
2007 Practice Test (math sections only)
http://mvyps.org/~ken_DeBettencourt/PSAT%202007.pdf
(Previous links no longer in service.)
For NM scholarships, please see this thread (go to the end for the most recently updated list):
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html
What is your situation?
I have done some research with the aim of determining how the NMSC groups boarding schools in each state into regional groups. As I posted on another thread I have found some press references to these groups and these citations are included in my list below. In addition I have used a Website to determine the distribution of boarding schools across the country. I believe there are five.
According to Boarding School Review, the following states have no boarding schools.
AL, AK, LA, NE, NV, ND, OK, SD, WY
Here are the cited regions:
Midwest
IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, OH, TX, WI
http://news.culver.org/?p=447
West
AZ, CA, CO, ID, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY
Fountain Valley School of Colorado ~ Standardized Testing
Southeast
AR, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN, WV
McCallie School ~ Ten Named National Merit Semifinalists
I conjecture that the New England region consists exclusively of the New England states where there are high concentrations of boarding schools.
New England (?)
CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT
This leaves 10 states unaccounted for. Here are seven that can be reasonably grouped into another region:
Mid-Atlantic (?)
DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA
Leaving three without a definite home:
IL, HI, KY (HI has one boarding school, KY two, IL two)
I am inclined to think, in spite of the news releases, that KY belongs to the Southeast or Midwest region, HI to the West, and IL to the Midwest.
Of course there is no guarantee that in the future these regions won't be re-grouped without notice by the NMSC.
We never got a high-scorer letter or notification, from the school or individually.
Do students get letters sent to their home address at, or is all the notification up to the school?
My daughter was well above the historic cutoffs for our state, and I called the National Merit people in the spring and they confirmed she was a high-scorer and eligible.
Here's a link to some discussion about that this spring:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1498432-i-never-got-top-scorer-letter.html