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Last Updated: November 24, 2023

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.

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: 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- ​
StateCut-Off for 2024Cut-Off for 2023Cut-Off for 2022
Alabama210212212
Alaska209210208
Arizona216214218
Arkansas210210211
California221220221
Colorado216217217
Connecticut221221220
Delaware219218220
District of Columbia223223224
Florida216216217
Georgia217218219
Hawaii217215217
Idaho211215214
Illinois219219 218
Indiana216214215
Iowa210212211
Kansas214214215
Kentucky211212212
Louisiana214213213
Maine213215211
Maryland221222224
Massachusetts222220221
Michigan217218217
Minnesota216216218
Mississippi209210213
Missouri214213214
Montana209207208
Nebraska210212210
Nevada211210214
New Hampshire215213214
New Jersey223223222
New Mexico207208210
New York220219220
North Carolina217217218
North Dakota207209207
Ohio216216215
Oklahoma208211210
Oregon216216220
Pennsylvania219218218
Rhode Island215216213
South Carolina209213213
South Dakota209212210
Tennessee217215215
Texas219219220
Utah209211212
Vermont212213211
Virginia219221221
Washington220220220
West Virginia207207207
Wisconsin213213214
Wyoming207207208
U.S. Territories207207207
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.

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