<p>
</p>
<p>1) PSAT score. Score at or above your state’s cutoff. </p>
<p>2) GPA. You need a reasonably decent GPA. 4.0s are not required. There is no cutoff for the GPA, although a 2.7 weighted GPA isn’t going to do you any favors. </p>
<p>3) SAT score that confirms your PSAT score. Multiply your PSAT score by 10 to get a feel for what you need on your SAT. </p>
<p>If you have taken an SAT in the past, and scored decently, you can report that score, provided that it isn’t over a year old. You can also take an SAT up to a year after taking the PSAT. </p>
<p>So if you got a 240 in 2012, you can pull out an old SAT score from October 2011. Or you can take the SAT by December 2013. </p>
<p>Don’t forget to report your scores to NMSC as well! Taking the SAT is one thing; reporting it is another.</p>
<p>4) Essay. </p>
<p>5) A bunch of other random crap. Read about it here:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nationalmerit.org/Merit_R&I_Leaflet.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nationalmerit.org/Merit_R&I_Leaflet.pdf</a></p>