How to become a National Merit Semifinalist
You may have heard of the prestigious academic title called “National Merit Semifinalist”. In this blog post, we’re going to discuss what this academic distinction means and how students can become a National Merit Semifinalist and a National Merit Scholar (disclaimer: it will require a lot of hard work!).
Every year, millions of students around the world take the PSAT/NMSQT. While most students are familiar with the PSAT being a shorter version of the SAT, some students may overlook the fact that the PSAT is also a “National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test” (NMSQT). In other words, doing well on this exam is a lesser known (but extremely powerful) strategy to stand out in college admissions because only about 16,000 students are awarded the National Merit Semifinalist distinction every year.
Even for students in California, where most public universities are now test-blind, students can have a substantial advantage in out-of-state admissions and scholarship opportunities if they become a National Merit Semifinalist.
Here’s how it works: Students take the PSAT/NMSQT exam in the fall of their Junior Year (for most schools it will be October). In the Spring of the following year, approximately 50,000 students who met the cutoff scores will be notified that they received recognition in the National Merit Scholarship Program.
From the excerpt below on the National Merit Scholarship Program website, we can see that roughly 16,000 out of the 50,000 high scorers will qualify as Semifinalists while the remaining 34,000 high scorers will be “Commended Students” but will not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships.
We believe that the 16000 students who qualify for the National Merit Finalist title are considered to be in the top 1% of scorers for the PSAT in their state, and with this distinction comes a very strong positive impression in college admissions.
To estimate the scores needed to qualify as a National Merit Semifinalist, you can look at the Selection Index scores from your specific State. Each State has different cutoff index scores and could vary slightly from year to year. We have posted the most recent data tables below from the official website. The Selection Index Qualifying Score is calculated by doubling your Reading and Writing score, then adding that number to your Math score, and dividing the sum by 10.
For instance if a student scores a 750 on the English and a 700 on the Math for a total of 1450, then the Index Calculation would be as following: (750 x 2) + 700 = 2200. We would then divide this by 10 and get an index score of 220.
Cutoff Scores by State - Part 1
Cutoff Scores by State - Part 2
Semifinalists are announced in September of a student’s senior year and they then have to complete an online application to become Finalists. The list of items to submit include the following:
High School Transcript that shows strong academic performance
Recommendation Letter from a teacher or school counselor
A Personal Essay to highlight achievements and leadership experiences.
Confirm a high SAT Score that supports your PSAT score performance
Semifinalists can use their academic distinction in their college applications to highlight strong academic rigor and performance.
From there on, roughly 15000 of the 16000 Semifinalists will become Finalists and are notified of their status in February of senior year. Finalists have have the following benefits:
A National Merit Scholarship of $2500
Corporate Sponsored Scholarships for students who meet specific criteria
College sponsored scholarships for students who listed them as their first-choice university
Achieving the National Merit Semifinalist distinction will require a lot of hard work and effort but can pay big dividends when it comes to college admissions and scholarship opportunities. A sizable percentage of admitted students to Top 20 Universities in the U.S. either earned “Commended Student” or National Merit Semifinalist awards.
In future blog posts, we’ll discuss more details on how to strategically prepare for the PSAT to increase the chances that you can become a National Merit Finalist.
Our Coaching Team at Tigerway has extensive experience with the PSAT and Digital SAT.
If you want individual advice on your situation with a private coach, let’s connect to see how we can best help you achieve your goals.
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Calvin Cheung, Director (617-749-8421, text today to book a call)
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Sreya Ravi, Program Officer (774-432-7381, text to book a call)
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