National Merit Commended question

TXArtemis
Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:20:46 +0000

I agree it’s unlikely to drop under 200 for commended.

But the real answer is, commended status (as opposed to semi-finalist/finalist status) doesn’t really matter, so don’t lose any sleep over what cutoff will be applied to your year.

If you are aiming for selective colleges and/or hoping for merit money, keep your focus on making the best possible SAT (or ACT) score, as well as on your grades and your SAT IIs (now is a good time to learn what SAT IIs are required by the colleges to which you will be applying so you can plan your spring, summer and fall test schedule–it is a major bummer to have to cram a bunch of tests and re-takes into the fall of your senior year).