What does being a National Merit Scholar mean?

National Merit Scholars are students who complete all the steps in the rigorous application process—after the PSAT, they become Commended Students, Semifinalists, Finalists, and THEN Scholars (more on these steps in a bit).

What is the benefit of being a National Merit Scholar?

National Merit Semifinalists

Gaining recognition as a National Merit Semifinalist is a prestigious achievement to include on college applications, and many colleges and corporate sponsors offer special scholarships to these students, even if they don't become finalists.

How hard is it to be a National Merit Scholar?

Of the 1.3 million eligible students who take the PSAT/NMSQT, only about 50,000 of the highest scoring students will receive program recognition. Students whose scores qualify them for recognition in the National Merit Program will be notified through their high schools in September following the test administration.

What PSAT score do you need to be a National Merit Scholar?

The Selection Index ranges from 48-228 and is equal to the sum of your test scores for Math, Reading, and Writing and Language. For the 2022 scholarship cycle, 207 represented the national qualifying score cutoff.

Is National Merit finalist a big deal?

Recognition: Being a National Merit Finalist is a significant achievement and can be included on college applications, resumes, and other professional documents. Increased college admissions chances: Many colleges and universities give preferential treatment to National Merit Finalists in the admissions process.

National Merit Scholarship Program: What Is It and How It Works?

Is National Merit Scholar prestigious?

The National Merit Scholarship Program is one of the most prestigious merit-based scholarship programs. And every year, over 1 million high school juniors enter the competition for a National Merit Scholarship.

How rare is National Merit?

A finalist chances of winning

Of the 1.5 million applicants who submitted a PSAT score, there are only 7,250 National Merit Scholarship winners.

Does a 1400 PSAT qualify for National Merit?

Does a 1400 PSAT Qualify for National Merit? Based on the scores of real grade 11 students who took the PSAT, a score of 1400 puts you in the 97th percentile. You may not qualify for the National Merit Scholarship with this score: it also depends on the cut-off scores of your state.

Is 1060 a good PSAT score for National Merit?

The qualifying score for National Merit will vary depending on what state you live in, and changes year to year. The top 3-4% of all test takers typically qualify as commended students, and the top 1% are recommended as semifinalists. So, you'll likely need a score of at least 1460 to be considered as a semifinalist.

How many National Merit finalists are there 2023?

The 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Is National Merit impressive?

As mentioned above, becoming a National Merit Semifinalist is an impressive achievement in itself, since just the top 1% of scorers in a given state receive that recognition.

Was Bill Gates a National Merit Scholar?

He was a National Merit Scholar when he graduated from Lakeside School in 1973. He scored 1590 out of 1600 on the Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) and enrolled at Harvard College in the autumn of 1973. He chose a pre-law major but took mathematics (including Math 55) and graduate level computer science courses.

Are National Merit Scholars smart?

Assuming the lower bound is 131, the median National Merit Scholar (a student at the 50th percentile of the group) will have an IQ of 135.

Do colleges care about National Merit Scholar?

At the very least, doing well in the National Merit Scholarship Program can boost your odds in the college application process. Award amounts are the focus of many frequently asked questions about the scholarship program and its benefits, but dollars aren't the only measure of how Merit Scholars benefit.

Does Harvard care about National Merit?

Some colleges that do NOT sponsor scholarships for National Merit students include Harvard and other Ivy League schools, Middlebury College, MIT, Stanford, and Williams College.

What is a bad PSAT score?

Below Average Overall PSAT Scores: 950 or Below.

What is a 900 PSAT score?

A combined score of 900 is the 31st percentile, (students scored higher than 31% of the people but unfortunately, 69% of the students scored higher).

What PSAT score qualifies for National Merit 2023?

Overall, you need to get a section score above 715 on both sections of the PSAT to compete for National Merit, with some states requiring even higher section scores. Again, aim for a few points higher than the minimum, as cutoffs can vary somewhat from year to year.

Is a 1400 PSAT bad?

Any PSAT score in the range of 1450-1500 is also a tremendous achievement, and an early indication that a student is academically prepared to pursue applications to top-ranked universities and colleges in the US. If you score between a 1400 and a 1450 you should also be proud.

What GPA do you need for National Merit?

National Merit Semi-Finalist and Finalist students take their academics seriously. You must maintain a 3.5 or higher GPA to qualify for the application process and maintain that GPA throughout your four years of high school.

Is National Merit an honor?

They will be named on the basis of a nationally applied Selection Index qualifying score that may vary from year to year. In recognition of their outstanding ability and potential for academic success in college, NMSC will honor these students by sending Letters of Commendation to them through their high schools.

What percent of kids get National Merit?

At the end of the competition, a select group of Finalists are chosen to receive $2500 National Merit Scholarships. Scholarship winners represent less than 1% of the initial pool of student entrants.