Should I give up on getting national merit with my score now? I got a 218 but I live in texas, so according to the testmasters data+compass data it seems I am 1 point off. @-)
Compass believes the cutoff for Texas will be 219. But they give a range of 218-220 for Texas. So your 218 isnāt out of the range of reasonably possible cutoffs. Unfortunately, like just about everyone, you need to wait until September. But the good news is you still stand a shot. Good luck. Its a great score regardless.
A PSAT score that misses the mark by a point wonāt keep you out of your dream school or result in lack of merit aid. Thereās a lot of money out there to reward a strong application and excellent test scores. Possibly missing the mark by a point on a one-time test really has more to do with dumb luck than anything else. If it comes to that you should mention the Commended status and include your actual score. A 218/228 is a great score.
This may have been answered previously, butā¦if you are a commended student at 209 and you donāt believe that your score will qualify you for the semi-finalist list (Florida), does it make any sense to take the actual SAT? Especially if you already scored a 33 composite on the ACT? My sonās counselor says he should still take the SAT, ājust in caseā. I think it is a waste of time and $$$. What if he makes a ālow scoreā? Wonāt that look worse than āno scoreā? Bottom line, if he is out of the running for semi-finalistā¦should he still take the SAT? Any advice will help.
@HandHMom The 33 is a great score. I personally wouldnāt test any further, unless you were looking for merit aid at highly competitive schools or elite admission. What is the goal? Sometimes high school counselors give less than stellar advice.
@HandHMom On the off chance he qualifies for national merit with a 209, he can always take the SAT after September. If he doesnāt, stick with the ACT.
@HandHMom - I donāt see much point in taking the SAT if your son is out of the running for NMSF and has a great ACT score.
@HandHMom, agree a 33 ACT is a strong scores and instead of jumping around and trying to ramp up on the SAT I would have S focus on trying to superscore to a 34; once one achieves a 34 it becomes less distinguishable from a 35 or 36 - meaning it wonāt be the reason they arenāt accepted.
I got a 213 from florida. I am mad i wont get nm especially since i got highest sat score in my score
Questionā¦So has anyone here called to see exactly when the NMSF SI numbers will be released? I have heard the end of August to the first of Septemberā¦nothing for sure though.
@Tgirlfriend I think the letters were mailed around Aug 28 last year. Homeschooling parents began receiving the letters Sept 2.
@WhereIsMyKindle ā¦thank you for the information. I just tried to call National Merit office and they are still closed for the the holiday.
@Harryp17 Donāt give up hope yet.
Florida has shown a lot variability over the past few years and it looks like most predictions are based off last yearās high cut-off of 214. My Dās school had 6 MNSF last year but there are not 6 with PSAT of 214 and above this year. Maybe a down year for the school or perhaps a down for the whole state again.
Since the ānormalā registration deadline for the Oct 1st SAT is September 1st, it would make SENSE for NMS to notify kids before that, so they can sit for the SAT. after that, there is a Nov 5th, and Dec 3rd - but with scores taking SO long to come back, Iām not sure if Dec 3rd test date would meet the Dec 31, 2016 NMS testing deadline.
If notifications to home school parents were dated 8/28/2015 last year (9 days before Labor Day) then the corresponding āletter dateā this year would be 8/26/2015ā¦ this would give most kids enough time to register for the Oct 1 SAT. But who knows.
Sounds rational. So its unlikely that is how it will happen. Unfortunately.
@suzyQ7 I completely agree with you about notifying the students in enough time to sign up for the Oct 1st SAT test.
@HandHMom As others have said, donāt have your son sit for the SAT unless there is a reason to do so. Personally, I would wait until SI cut offs are known but whatever you decide, make sure are familiar with what the collegeās your son is applying to have as testing requirements. Georgetown, for one, requires scores for all tests taken be sent to them. Some schools say send us all the scores for the ACT or SAT and we will superscore them for you. I donāt see how it makes any difference to give them a 33 vs give them a 33 and then give them results from another score and have them superscore. I think itās a gimmick colleges came up with to make themselves look even more selective than they already are.
Itās important to consider the section scores in deciding if itās worth retaking to try to get a 34. If there is one section where a kidās score is off and they can improve in that one section and hold steady in the others, thereās a shot. If the 4 scores are too closely aligned and retake itās a risk of the same or lower composite. Good luck!
Take my comments with a grain of salt because I donāt believe in repetitive testing. My son took the SAT and ACT one time each and will only take the SAT again in the fall if it turns out he would need to take the new SAT to confirm his PSAT SI score. All indications right now point to the old SAT score being acceptable so we just have to wait and see. Iām not totally nuts; I definitely would have had my son re-test if he had a bad day, were sick, there were some disruption at the testing site etc.
He has all 33s and 34 in Science. I guess he could try for a 34-35-36 IF he actually had the time to self-study or if we paid a tutor. We thought it was a good scoreā¦wanted to be done with testing so we could just focus on apps and scholarships, but his counselor saying take the āSAT just in caseāā¦made us nervous.
I believe updated concordance tables have been postedā¦ugly ugly.
They are so high they donāt even make senseā¦ My NJ child would need perfect scores to be NMSF!