@mtrosemom that’s a question that I’d want to be 100% sure of having the answer to so I could plan accordingly. A quick perusal of the NMSC website didn’t turn anything up about new vs. old which makes sense because the question doesn’t apply to the current, 2016, competition. I did find this, however:
“Scores earned on national administrations of the SAT from October 2013 through December 2015 will be considered by NMSC”
Again, this is for the current 2016 competition. Presumably the next competition (2017) which is the one that affects our juniors would allow scores from the Oct. 2014 Sat through Dec. 2016. But again, best to check and get a definitive answer.
@mnpapa29 An SAT taken in the 8th grade CANNOT be used to confirm the PSAT. The SAT must be taken between (and including) October 2014 and December 2016 to confirm the October 2015 PSAT. (This assumes that the national merit people will allow both the old SAT and new SAT to confirm).
@Mamelot That time frame to take or to have taken SAT was for OLD SAT test. I wonder whether you will be able to use OLD SAT taken in Jan 2015 for NM Finalist purpose for NEW PSAT? Some kids might not want to take another SAT even if doing so would help them receive scholarship money, as long as they are in the 15,000 NM Finalists group.
OK. I just emailed the CB (because there was no way I was going to wait on hold) to confirm that the old SAT can be used for the new PSAT to confirm and that the cutoff for the old SAT is still a score of 1960 or higher. I should hear back in a few days lol.
Just as a experiment, I’d like to try a very different, independent mechanism of estimating the cutoffs. Many students who took the PSAT as a junior also took it as a sophomore. As it turns out, the relationship between sophomore and junior scores has been studied (see https://research.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/publications/2012/7/researchnote-2010-41-score-change-2007-psat.pdf), and sophomore-to-junior scores are highly correlated, with scores generally showing just a slight 3-4 point increase on average per section (see Table 2 on page 11 in that document). However, for sophomores who already had high scores (such as those who are in the range of NMSF), this increase is actually reduced or even negative (both because of limited headroom and “regression to the mean”). See Figure 4 on page 10 of the document how the increase from sophomore to juniors scores is equal to zero for PSAT scores around 70 – which happens to correspond to the region we are most concerned with in estimating the cutoff.
My hypothesis, then, is simple. If people are willing to share sophomore and junior scores, we can estimate the deviation between the old test and the new test. The average difference could then be applied to the old cutoffs to estimate the new cutoffs. To keep it simple, I think it is reasonable to use just the selection index rather than look at the individual breakouts. I figure we’ll need at least 30 or so scores before we have meaningful data. I’ll start for my D:
Sophomore (2014), Junior (2015), Change
231, 250, +19
Agreed @websensation and it’s definitely a question that needs to be checked out by those potential NMF’s who have taken an old SAT in the past year. Fortunately for us, D3 made the decision not to focus on more than one type of SAT so she stuck with the new format. Some of her potential schools require that all scores be sent so it’s not prudent to test multiple times. She already has her ACT and will take an SAT due to her SI (220 in MN). She’d like to do a one-and-done either in March or perhaps in November after all the ED/EA deadlines are past.
FWIW - regarding what SAT would be “confirming” for a NMSF to be a finalist, I did see this posted on 2/2015 on the Compass website: “We have established that the current SAT will suffice as a “confirming” score for National Merit Scholarship standing for those students who score in the 99th percentile on the new PSAT. Top scorers will not be forced to take the new SAT if they have already done well on the current [pre2016] SAT.” http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/college_board_forum_update_2_20_2015/
But checking with the NationalMerit folks. "