<p>Never is it stated explicitly what will differentiate, but again, read some things to get an idea. For example:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nationalmerit.org/Merit_R&I_Leaflet.pdf”>http://www.nationalmerit.org/Merit_R&I_Leaflet.pdf</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1612896-what-s-the-real-difference-between-nmsf-and-nmf.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1612896-what-s-the-real-difference-between-nmsf-and-nmf.html</a></p>
<p>Here on CC I’ve read things like, “at least a 1960 on SAT to confirm”, “no more than 2 C’s grades 9-12 … maybe even no more than 1”, but again, NMSC doesn’t come right out and say these things.</p>