<p>Just FYI, HVD, regarding your D. Sophomore PSAT-takers are not eligible for for the NMS competition. Only junior testers can participate. The chief reasons for sophomores to take the test are (1) practice for the junior-year PSAT and the SAT and (2) get feedback on what areas to work on.</p>
<p>I’ll also add that it isn’t clear how much of a role the application plays in eventual scholar selection. You must file a complete one, presumably, to advance to NMF, but most scholarships are “aligned” with employment or college selection and of those that aren’t, mostly the NMSC’s own awards, no one here knows how much influence the essay and activities list plays in those decisions. Factors already determined, like SAT score and class rank, probably are more decisive. At any rate a less-than-optimal application probably won’t have a big impact.</p>
<p>Finally, it isn’t just government workers who slide into the “just push the paper” behavior. Plenty (plenty!) of those in the private sphere, too.:)</p>