PSAT Score and National Merit Scholarship

PSAT is an examination taken by school-going students as a prelude to estimate their future SAT scores and also to get an understanding of the examination. Though this examination is taken to gain experience about the SAT examination, it is mostly opted for by candidates who wish to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship. It is due to this that the PSAT is also known as NMSQT or the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

The National Merit Scholarship is provided as an academic competition to recognize educational merit in students through the PSAT test. Students who are preparing to achieve this scholarship will have to score among the top 1% of the test-takers to be a semi-finalist in the competition. After this, they will be chosen as a finalist only by comparing their school grades, SAT/ACT scores, self-written essays, etc. Since the PSAT is an examination that can be applied to only the respective high schools of candidates, students must contact their counselor if they wish to take the examination.

National Merit Scholarship Process

The National Merit Scholarship is provided as part of the National Merit Scholarship Program to around 15,000 students every year. The PSAT test is the qualifying examination for this for the first round of the scholarship. But even though the PSAT is the qualifying test, candidates must take the PSAT/NMSQT since the PSAT 8/9 and PSAT 10 are not considered to be eligible for the National Merit Scholarship.

• Upon writing the examination, students will get a Selection Index Score listed in their score report. It is based on this score that they get selected as semi-finalists for the scholarship program.
• Out of over 1.5 million students who apply every year, only 16,000 are considered to be semi-finalists. These students will mostly have scored in the 99th percentile compared to other test-takers.
• The Selection Index Score is subject to vary from state to state and from year to year.
• Students who have been selected as semi-finalists will have to submit their SAT/ACT scores and a self-written essay to prove their PSAT performance.
• Based on all the documents provided the student will be listed as a finalist.
• The finalists will further have to provide their school’s official written recommendation, extra-curricular activity details, and their essay based on which they will be selected as the winner.

National Merit Program Entry Requirements

A student must fulfill each of the requirements listed below in order to be admitted into the 2025 National Merit Program. A student must:

• be enrolled in high school in order to graduate from the program and gain admission to a college in 2025.
• attend a high school in one of the states that comprise the United States, the District of Columbia, or one of the commonwealths and territories; or the student must be a citizen of the United States if studying abroad.
• Take the 2023 PSAT/NMSQT in the year designated for the high school program, and no later than the third year in grades 9 through 12, irrespective of the educational pattern or grade classification.

Students who have taken the PSAT as sophomores will have to take the test again when they are juniors if they wish to enter the scholarship program.

Qualifying PSAT Scores for NMSQT

The qualifying scores for the NMSQT are dependent on the state in which the student resides and the year in which they are taking the test. 50,000 of the test takers who are the highest scorers qualify for the program out of which around 16,000 candidates are chosen as the semi-finalists. These other students who do not make it to the semi-finalist round will be tagged as commendable students and they will be eligible for Special Scholarships. The Selection Index cut-offs for the years 2022 and 2021 are as follows- ​

State	Cut-Off for 2024	Cut-Off for 2023	Cut-Off for 2022
Alabama	210	212	212
Alaska	209	210	208
Arizona	216	214	218
Arkansas	210	210	211
California	221	220	221
Colorado	216	217	217
Connecticut	221	221	220
Delaware	219	218	220
District of Columbia	223	223	224
Florida	216	216	217
Georgia	217	218	219
Hawaii	217	215	217
Idaho	211	215	214
Illinois	219	219	218
Indiana	216	214	215
Iowa	210	212	211
Kansas	214	214	215
Kentucky	211	212	212
Louisiana	214	213	213
Maine	213	215	211
Maryland	221	222	224
Massachusetts	222	220	221
Michigan	217	218	217
Minnesota	216	216	218
Mississippi	209	210	213
Missouri	214	213	214
Montana	209	207	208
Nebraska	210	212	210
Nevada	211	210	214
New Hampshire	215	213	214
New Jersey	223	223	222
New Mexico	207	208	210
New York	220	219	220
North Carolina	217	217	218
North Dakota	207	209	207
Ohio	216	216	215
Oklahoma	208	211	210
Oregon	216	216	220
Pennsylvania	219	218	218
Rhode Island	215	216	213
South Carolina	209	213	213
South Dakota	209	212	210
Tennessee	217	215	215
Texas	219	219	220
Utah	209	211	212
Vermont	212	213	211
Virginia	219	221	221
Washington	220	220	220
West Virginia	207	207	207
Wisconsin	213	213	214
Wyoming	207	207	208
U.S. Territories	207	207	207

Since the cut-offs of previous years act as estimates for future examinations, it is ideal for candidates to expect the score to increase by 2 or 4 points in the upcoming examination. International students who wish to qualify for the scholarship will have to adhere to the highest cut-off score among all states.

Scoring in the 99th Percentile for PSAT/NMSQT

Students who wish to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship will have to score in the top tier of the 99th percentile considering how only a few people get the scholarship. To get a high Selection Score Index, candidates will have to prepare in advance for the PSAT.

Candidates will have to learn about the approximate state cut-off initially if they need to estimate the score they will require to qualify for the scholarship. Since the score varies from year to year it is ideal for candidates to aim higher than the previous year's state cut-off. Having a target score will allow candidates to understand how much time they will have to spend preparing for the examination.

Now, candidates will be able to study the test content by using test guides or test apps. They will also be able to enroll in courses to crack the examination. Practicing for the test by attempting full-length test papers and official test papers that are easily available will be an easy way of preparing oneself for the examination.