Momto6inIN Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 DS is in 11th grade and our oldest, so this is all new to me, so please be gentle lol He's signed up to take the PSAT at our local high school on Nov 2. He's been working his way through a test prep book and took the first practice test. He's a STEM guy and a classic first born child perfectionist and he's frustrated with his score on this practice test because he missed a few problems in each section (some in the math section due to some statistical terms he didn't know that we're going to have him brush up on and others in the language sections because of having to hurry through the last few questions) and he only got about a 700 on each section. I'm having a hard time thinking that's a bad score because according to my casual googling that's usually considered to be approximately the 99th percentile, so I'm tempted to think he's over-reacting ... but again, this is new to me and I admittedly don't understand the scoring system of the PSAT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 National Merit uses a "selection index" to sort scores. It is calculated by doubling the sum of the student's Reading, Writing and Language, and Math raw scores (the number correct.) Because of this, the language portion winds of being more heavily weighted, so that will work to the advantage of certain test takers. Then the Selection Index is compared to the results of students within your state. The top 1% in each state, I believe, are considered to be semi-finalists. Because of this, geography matters. If you happen to live in a heavily populated state or one in which a large number of uber fancy prep schools are located (think California, Washington, East Coast), your student will be facing a much higher selection index cut-off number. If you live in a low population state, the cut-off tends to be lower. (Like we do. Yay, us!) Does this help? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 If you are more familiar with ACT scores, there are charts correlating SAT with ACT scores. 700 is a really good score. PSAT scores are out of 760, not the 800 that SAT scores are out of, so the scores are not apples-to-apples, IMO. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Yes, and 700 is very good! If your ds is aiming for National Merit, here is a link to the selection scores needed for the class of 2017. They can vary a bit each year. The 2016 index is much different from this year's (2017) cut-offs because the test changed. There should not be that big of variation between 2107 and 2018 cut-offs. I hope this helps! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 (edited) Doubble post! Sorry! Edited October 20, 2016 by mjbucks1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto6inIN Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 Yes, these answers are very helpful, thank you! And at the risk of appearing really, really, REALLY dumb ... what exactly does being a NM semi-finalist or finalist do for you? Does he have a realistic shot at whatever that is? Or should I just be really content and proud that he'll probably be able to get into a decent college? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto6inIN Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 National Merit uses a "selection index" to sort scores. It is calculated by doubling the sum of the student's Reading, Writing and Language, and Math raw scores (the number correct.) Because of this, the language portion winds of being more heavily weighted, so that will work to the advantage of certain test takers. Then the Selection Index is compared to the results of students within your state. The top 1% in each state, I believe, are considered to be semi-finalists. Because of this, geography matters. If you happen to live in a heavily populated state or one in which a large number of uber fancy prep schools are located (think California, Washington, East Coast), your student will be facing a much higher selection index cut-off number. If you live in a low population state, the cut-off tends to be lower. (Like we do. Yay, us!) Does this help? So ... living in Indiana is a plus for at least one thing! lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 what exactly does being a NM semi-finalist or finalist do for you? Does he have a realistic shot at whatever that is? Or should I just be really content and proud that he'll probably be able to get into a decent college? lol It sounds like his scores are in the ballpark of possibly being National Merit. Being commended (top 3%) doesn't do much for you. Being semifinalist, means you have to take the SAT to verify your scores and a few other things, but generally it means you move on to being a finalist. Being a finalist will get you automatic BIG scholarships at LOTS of schools. Other schools it does nothing. I don't have a link to a list of schools, but the lists are out there. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto6inIN Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 It sounds like his scores are in the ballpark of possibly being National Merit. Being commended (top 3%) doesn't do much for you. Being semifinalist, means you have to take the SAT to verify your scores and a few other things, but generally it means you move on to being a finalist. Being a finalist will get you automatic BIG scholarships at LOTS of schools. Other schools it does nothing. I don't have a link to a list of schools, but the lists are out there. Thank you!I wasn't even sure where to start googling, and now I have a direction! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 There are certain schools that give you full tuition for being a NM Finalist. The actual scholarship(s) from NM (corporate, through NM, or through a college) are pretty small. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Yes, these answers are very helpful, thank you! And at the risk of appearing really, really, REALLY dumb ... what exactly does being a NM semi-finalist or finalist do for you? Does he have a realistic shot at whatever that is? Or should I just be really content and proud that he'll probably be able to get into a decent college? lol Money. There are scholarships available. If he makes semi-finalist, there are then a few more hoops to go through to make finalist but most make it. If your son qualifies as a semi-finalist, I think that would be time to study the PSAT book and do what it says! The amount of scholarship money will vary from school to school. In our state, however, all resident NM finalists get a free ride to the University of Our State. As in tuition, housing, and books. :drool5: That's why my short person is taking it for practice multiple times. Hopefully, some posters with "been there, done that" experience will chime in to help you more. We're still very much in the process here! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 My ds was a 2016 National Merit Finalist. He did indeed have several full-ride scholarship offers. He accepted a near full-ride scholarship. Most of the schools that offer the amazing scholarships are large universities, although there are some smaller universities and colleges that offer very good scholarships for NMF. You will find that most selective schools do not offer automatic *large* scholarships for NMF (I know University of Chicago used to offer a decent scholarship to NMF, but I do not know if this is still the case). There are many schools that will offer automatic smaller scholarships to NMF. MOST kids who make National Merit Semi-finalist move on to NMF. Most who do not either do not have a qualifying SAT score, have one or more "C"'s on their transcript, have a disciplinary issue, or fail to apply. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 There are certain schools that give you full tuition for being a NM Finalist. The actual scholarship(s) from NM (corporate, through NM, or through a college) are pretty small. That is a fantastic link. Thank you for sharing it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto6inIN Posted October 20, 2016 Author Share Posted October 20, 2016 MOST kids who make National Merit Semi-finalist move on to NMF. Most who do not either do not have a qualifying SAT score, have one or more "C"'s on their transcript, have a disciplinary issue, or fail to apply. This is good to know ... I was having trouble figuring out what the difference was between being a semi finalist and a finalist. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 This is good to know ... I was having trouble figuring out what the difference was between being a semi finalist and a finalist. Here's a link to the 2017 requirements. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 (edited) There are certain schools that give you full tuition for being a NM Finalist. The actual scholarship(s) from NM (corporate, through NM, or through a college) are pretty small. :iagree: My understanding is that you want to make sure to list one of these schools as your #1 choice in the NM paperwork if you make it to the semi-finalist round, as that is the only way you get offered the scholarship, is if it's your #1 choice -- if you later choose to apply to that school, but it was not your #1 choice, the school will not offer the NM-based scholarship. Yes -- the NM scholarships are 1-time awards of about $2500. The scholarships offered by colleges for being a NM Finalist can be partial or full tuition, AND they are usually renewable scholarships (i.e., as long as the student continues to meet requirements, the student is awarded the scholarship each year for up to 4 years). Edited October 20, 2016 by Lori D. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muttichen Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 (edited) Never mind -- I misread your post. Sorry! Edited October 21, 2016 by Muttichen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 My understanding is that you want to make sure to list one of these schools as your #1 choice in the NM paperwork if you make it to the semi-finalist round, as that is the only way you get offered the scholarship, is if it's your #1 choice -- if you later choose to apply to that school, but it was not your #1 choice, the school will not offer the NM-based scholarship. This is true, but you have a while to make your decision (I think May 1st is the deadline). And you can also change the school you list as #1, as long as it is before the deadline (my ds actually did this). If your student is uncertain, the student can just wait until closer to the deadline to designate a school. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 My daughter is a 2016 NM Scholar. You don't need to list a first choice school on the paperwork until your final selection is made, by May 1st. There's no advantage to doing so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 (edited) This is true, but you have a while to make your decision (I think May 1st is the deadline). ... You don't need to list a first choice school on the paperwork until your final selection is made, by May 1st... Yes, I just noting the importance of listing the first choice school so people would know they need to start their college to decide on a school. Thanks for adding the timing. :) Edited October 23, 2016 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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