@Grimnak The Hispanic cutoff score for the South region this year has been released and is 204. This score has been running in the high 95th or low 96th percentile, so it would be my guess that a score of 204 would be in the 96th percentile and thus not Commended. But of course all any of us are doing is making educated guesses.
The SI scores from a school here in GA that provides close to 10% of our NMSFs each year (not a Cobb county school, by the way) strongly suggest that the GA cutoff will be around 217.
@DoyleBā¦looks like GA cutoff last year was 218 out of 240. That tells me that the cutoff may stay close to were it was last year even though it is out of 228 instead of 240. There is that theory about clumping together scores. Good to knowā¦thanks for the information.
@EarlVanDornā¦is the 204 Commended cutoff of NM cutoff for hispanics?
The 204 that EarlVanDorm referred to is the cutoff in the South region for the National Hispanic Recognition Program which goes to the top 2.5% of Hispanic test takers. Itās broken up by region (not State) and the South normally has the highest cutoff. I think ppl have said that the South cutoff has been close to the cutoff for Commended in the past.
Historically, the commended cutoff was several points (5-9 or so) higher than the highest cutoff for NHRP, which was generally the South. Also, I have read on previous threads that the NHRP honored the top 5% of Hispanic test takers. This year, the highest NHRP cutoff score is 204. My daughterās letter said that was the top 2.5% of Hispanic test takers in her region. That doesnāt bode well for a lower commended score, which will not be announced until September.
Actually the commended score is typically released in April. The state-specific cutoffs for semifinalist are announced in early September.
@18yrcollegemin the cutoff for commended scholars last year was 3 points higher than the highest cutoff for the NHRP. This means that a score of 206 - 208 will most likely be the comended cutoff. From what I understand, it is always the top 2.5% of Hispanics.
I agree with @MSBlues . I figure the Commended cutoff will be 207, with a possibility of 206 or 208. Mississippi and Alabama should have a cutoff of 209 or 210, possibly a 211.
@EarlVanDorn I believe that Mississippiās cutoff will higher. The highest NHRP qualifying score has consistently moved closer and closer to the 97th percentile, so the commended cutoff is more than likely a 206 or 207. I believe Mississippi and Alabamaās cutoffs will be in the 211-213 range, but a lower (or higher) score is possible with so much clumping of data at the higher percentiles.
Any thoughts on Arkansas NM? S2 scored a TS 1410 SI 209 on PSAT. Iām hoping this will be NMSF, but it may fall just below the cut-off. I postulate that the cut-off scores will be similar to past years with the following adjustments: a little higher for the lower scoring states (202->205) and a little lower for the top scoring states (223->220) with commended around 206.
Does anyone know if my son will have to take the SAT if he qualifies for Commended? I know he will be required to take it if he is a NMSF.
He had no prep for the PSAT and basically just showed up with a calculator and a few pencils- so Iām sure he will need to take a practice SAT before he takes the official SAT. Itās a shame that they wait so long to notify NMSFs. Surely they realize the senior year is full of deadlines and responsibilities. As far as Iām aware, itās common practice to take the ACT here, so very few students take the SAT. He probably wonāt take the SAT unless it is required. Wonder when the SAT (qualifying NMF) deadline will be?
Sorry so many questions! Iām sure everyone is already exhausted with this discussion. Iāve been following and have learned so much. The mathematical/statistical geniuses on here remind me of my son. What an adventure! Sometimes, it feels like a hunt for treasure. I just hope we ALL find the gold-- but I have a feeling we are already so blessed! Our juniors have such wonderful futures to look forward to no matter what the cut-off scores may be.
@My4Sons ā¦There are several people guessing out there. Here is one estimate from Compass
Compass - 209
@My4Sons He does not need to take the SAT for commended status, but will need to confirm his score for NMSF. Good luck.
@My4Sons Here are three guesses from SAT prep gurus:
Compass 209
Prepscholar 211
Testmasters 210
Your S2 is certainly in the running. And yes, I agree that September is a long wait!
@EarlVanDorn I really hope this isnāt the case. 204 was always enough in the past, and it would be a heartbreak to just barely miss it.
@MSBlues Itās all guess work really. I donāt think Mississippi will be higher than 210. One thing to remember is that Mississippi and Alabama had never been tied before at least in recent years until last year. Mississippi has been closing the gap, in part due to the DeSoto/Madison County prep courses. But I donāt think it is a certainty that Mississippi will remain tied with Alabama this year. These things tend to be two steps forward, one back, and I think itās likely Mississippi will come in a point or two below Alabama.
Earlier in this thread is a post that Kentucky, after consultation with the College Board, set a PSAT score of 211 as being qualified for some state honor or program. This score has traditionally been pegged to the 99th percentile, so if they have, after consultation with the College Board, followed past practice then 211 will be the first 99th percentile number. Mississippi has been in the middle of the 98th percentile, which suggests a 209. However, the scores are very clumpy, and for that reason Iām thinking the cutoff might go as high as 210.
Wasnāt the commended score for the PSAT last year a 202? So since this is a new test, wouldnāt it make sense for them to decrease the score? I donāt know much just trying to understand. Thanks!
Two questions. 1. When is the commended score believed to be coming out? 2. Can a Hispanic student be a national merit finalist and get NHRP recognition or only get one?
Sort of a tangent to all of this conversation but might be interesting to some of you stats people:)
My son took the new PSAT without any practice or even familiarizing himself to what the PSAT is. Public school in Eugene, OR that has all juniors take the test but offers no prep nor educating students or families about potential scholarships. We had no idea about schools offering full tuition, etc, for high scores.
He scored 1430, SI 214. He recently took a practice SAT (new) and scored 1420. So maybe the new PSAT does do a good job of predicting new SAT scores.
As I understand, commended is top 3% at national level (not state specific) based on SI. (3% of 1.5 million is appx 45000 students) CB has already published the SI percentile (Page 11. February 2016 update)
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/2015-psat-nmsqt-understanding-scores.pdf
Based on that commended SI cutoff would be 200.
For NMSF weāll still have to wait until Sept. since it is state specific and no data is available.yet.