Breaking Down the PSAT and the National Merit Scholarship Program

Recently, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) named 16,000 high school seniors across the U.S. as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists. Many will soon submit applications to become finalists in hopes of earning financial support for their academic endeavors. And through the upcoming month of October, this year's juniors will be taking the PSAT, jointly administered by the College Board and the NMSC, to determine their qualification for next year's scholarship program. However, the PSAT—and how it relates to National Merit Scholarship qualification—may seem confusing at first. Hopefully, this article can help break down the PSAT-to-scholarship process.

The Preliminary SAT, or PSAT, is modeled after the SAT, a standardized college entrance exam administered by the College Board. Like the SAT, the PSAT involves a series of multiple-choice questions in a digital format. However, while the SAT is a 3-hour exam with a maximum possible score of 1600, the PSAT is shorter, clocking in at 2 hours and 14 minutes, with a total possible score of 1520.

The PSAT is split into two sections: a Reading and Writing Section, with 1 hour and 4 minutes to complete 54 questions; and a Math Section, with 1 hour and 10 minutes to complete 44 questions. Based on the number of questions you answer correctly, the score you receive in each section ranges from 120 to 760. Each section is also split into two modules. The difficulty of the second module is adaptive, which means that tougher questions on the second module may indicate excellent performance on the first.

To many, the PSAT may only serve as practice for the SAT, which most students take later in their high school career. This can be a helpful strategy as the SAT can play a key role in college admissions (for more information, see our blog on the SAT and ACT), and practicing the testing format beforehand can boost your chances for success.

However, the PSAT also serves as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) and plays a major role in whether students can formally enter the National Merit Scholarship program. The NMSC doubles your Reading and Writing PSAT/NMSQT score, adds it to your Math score, and divides the sum by ten to calculate your Selection Index score. Note that the Selection Index score places double the weight on your Reading and Writing score compared to your Math score.

The PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index score formula.

This Selection Index score is used to determine a student's level of recognition. Around two-thirds of top Selection Index scorers, about 34,000 students, are "commended" and awarded Letters of Commendation. Although they are not eligible to continue in the National Merit Scholarship program, some may still qualify for Special Scholarships (discussed below). Meanwhile, less than the top 1 percent of students, around 16,000 high scorers, are formally named semifinalists in the September of their senior year, should they also meet other National Merit Scholarship entry requirements (listed on the NMSC website). The Selection Index score cutoff to become a semifinalist varies by state based on how competitive program entrants are—for example, for the Class of 2025, the Massachusetts cutoff was 223, whereas the South Dakota cutoff was 208.

Once you are named a semifinalist, you must submit an application to the NMSC including your grade point average, extracurricular activities, awards and honors, a school recommendation, an essay, and an SAT or ACT score confirming your PSAT/NMSQT performance to move on. About 95 percent of semifinalists qualify to become finalists, announced in February.

Only finalists are considered for National Merit Scholarships—a selection of National Merit $2,500 Scholarships, corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships, and college-sponsored Merit Scholarships. The value of corporate- and college-sponsored scholarships varies by the sponsor. Corporations also offer Special Scholarships, which non-finalist high scorers are eligible for receiving.

Scholarship winners are notified from March to May of their senior year and can use the awards at any regionally accredited college or university in the U.S. The funds they receive can help alleviate the financial burdens of higher education. As the rising cost of higher education has become a hot topic in recent years, the scholarship program can enable more people to realize their dreams.

Thus, we wish you good luck on the PSAT/NMSQT, the National Merit Scholarship application process, and any other educational pursuits you might have!

Best,

Youyi Li

PrepPages Director of Events