Yes, for National Merit Scholarship possibilities. The one that counts is the junior year PSAT.
btw- they never quote statistics for NMS finalists for any school, only for those who get the scholarships. There can be many NMFs that remain uncounted. I know that since we didnât need the money I purposefully did not tell our son to list the school he did go to as his first choice for NM. I figured that someone else should get the money.
btw- perfect test scores do not mean admission to elite schools. With homeschooling you will want outside confirmation of how well your child actually does. Test scores from ACT, PSAT, SAT and AP will be useful in showing this. For such a high performer it should not be a difficult task. Many gifted kids get the top scores without studying. I know we forced our son to do practice tests just to still be familiar with the tests (had done talent search ones- including one on an icy day).
I asked a similar question too, once: why the PSAT is valued at a few schools more than scores. NOT that my kids have perfect scores but I was curious. One reason given was that the PSAT is a one-time only test. Perfect scores might have been achieved after taking the tests multiple times. If merit money is important, the PSAT opens up a few more opps for your kid.
Iâm not sure thereâs a straightforward answer to this, a lot depends on what your goals are and how much more tests your child is interested in taking.
Typically students take the psat in 10th for practice, use the summer before jr year to study for both the psat and sat and take them in the fall. If youâre interested in getting NM money or want to tout NMSF in your college applications, this would probably be the best route to take because you need the sat confirming score and youâve studied for the sat. Your child could take the act again in the fall for the confirming score instead of the sat as others have said.
If your child isnât crazy about tests, then you could have him or her take the psat in jr year maybe just taking a practice test or two, and see what happens. If youâre close or know youâll be NMSF, then take the ACT end of jr year, since itâs clear the kid is good at that test!
Regarding AP exams, if she takes college courses covering the same material, then she can take the AP exams for extra coverage for colleges that accept AP scores more easily (she will not get double credit, but she is more likely to get credit). Example: if she takes calculus 1 and 2 at a college, she can take the AP calculus BC exam.
No, not for a NMF scholarship. By definition, NMF scholarships are based on PSAT scores, plus other qualifying criteria. They are not flexible.
There may be other merit scholarships.
Itâs pretty simple. If you want a National Merit scholarship you have to take the PSAT. A kid who got a 36 on the ACT is likely to do well with minimal prep for the test. The only question is whether they should take it for practice the year before junior year.
My kid who always tested well got qualifying scores both times he took it (sophopmore year and junior year) with no studying. Only junior year counted for the contest.
https://www.sfa.ufl.edu/types-of-aid/scholarships/
OP - I donât think you are understanding how the Benaquisto Scholarship works. Please scroll down in the link I provided above to read about it.
EDIT: Here is the link to specific info about Benquisto beyond the UF page:
https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/PDF/factsheets/FIS.pdf
In order to receive the Benaquisto Scholarship (which is a full ride at UF), the student must be a National Merit Scholar. The path to becoming a National Merit Scholar is Semi-Finalist â> Finalist â> Scholar. The first and NECESSARY step in this path is taking the PSAT in the fall of oneâs junior year of high school. In order to be named a National Merit âScholar,â one must receive 1) a corporate scholarship, 2) an institution-based scholarship, or 3) one of the $2,500 scholarships awarded by the National Merit Corporation itself. UF awards the $500 institution-based scholarship so that one can be designated a National Merit Scholar so they can receive Benaquisto. Benaquisto comes from the state of Florida itself - not UF or any other Florida university (you can google to see which ones participate in Benaquisto). UF awards that $500 to insure that those who are National Merit Finalists move along the path and are designated as National Merit âScholarsâ in case they donât receive money from the other two options (corporate-sponsored or National Merit Corporation itself scholarships).
Reiterating - The only way your student can become a National Merit Finalist or Scholar is to take the PSAT in the fall of junior year and achieve the necessary score for that particular year. If UF is a goal, your student should definitely take the PSAT since they have already demonstrated that they test well. NB - Benquisto funding does require legislative approval. No one knows what might happen to students who have already received it, if the legislature were to pull funding for it. However, most believe that those already in the Benaquisto program would be grandfathered in and continue to receive the scholarship.
I did not homeschool our ds all the way through high school, but I did for much of his education. I am well aware that finding a location for homeschool students to take the PSAT can be a real challenge. You need to start early to find a school that is willing to work with you and let your homeschool student test with them. My experience is that small, private, Christian schools will be most amenable to allowing homeschoolers to take the PSAT at their schools, but you must search and ask WELL in advance.
I also understand that grade level can be rather fluid among homeschoolers with some students being accelerated in certain subjects. You need to also make clear a designation of grade level(s) for purposes of taking the PSAT at the proper time. PSAT scores from sophomore year do not count.
Hope this helps. Congrats on your studentâs excellent ACT score and good luck!
Also adding that other colleges outside of Florida provide generous scholarships for National Merit Finalist status. IMO, it is absolutely worth doing for obtaining some nice merit money at some schools.
You are talking about 2 different things. UF will love her perfect ACT score for admissions, but UF doesnât give a scholarship specifically for that. Post #27 explains that the benacquisto scholarship is the big money. A non NMF may get another scholarship from UF, but it wonât be the big bucks. Most of the scholarship money in Florida is from Bright Futures and benacquisto (state programs). UF has a few merit scholarships and there is some need based aid, but the big bucks come from being a NMF (especially for OOS) or BF.
My son got a 36 but I told him to take the PSAT so that he could qualify for National Merit. Sadly, he was 2 correct answers away from qualification. They all ACT as a validating test score for NMF now. Good luck!
Is UF your desired school? If so youâve gotten great advice. If not, whatâs your ideal goal for college (where or what type, do you need/want merit aid, etc)? The answer to your question depends upon the path youâre looking for.
In general, thereâs no harm to taking more tests and scoring well on them. For individuals itâs not always necessary pending the path they want.
When after merit aid, taking a test and scoring well can pay off handsomely if looking at the income/time aspect. In the SAT class I was teaching I made sure to note that for the students - and recommended they try the ACT as well to see which one they were better at. One doesnât have to be a NMF to have it pay off as worth their time, but Iâve never seen that hurt a student. Itâs just not always necessary, so consider your goals.