National Merit Scholarship commended cutoff scores?

Hi! I'm looking for some info about the National Merit Scholarship commended cutoff scores. How can I estimate if I might qualify? Also, is there a range or specific score that I should aim for?

Hey there! The National Merit Scholarship Program recognizes high school students who obtain high scores on the PSAT/NMSQT, which acts as the qualifying test. Though the specific cutoff scores vary from year to year and state to state, I can provide some guidelines for estimating whether you might qualify.

The selection index for commended scholars is generally consistent nationwide, unlike semifinalists whose cutoffs differ by state. The commended cutoff typically falls within a range of around 2-3 points in recent years. For example, the commended cutoff for the class of 2022 was 209, while it was 212 for the class of 2023. It would be wise to aim for a score above 210 to have a strong chance of achieving commended status, though the specific cutoff may be slightly lower or higher depending on the year.

To calculate your selection index, you can add your three PSAT/NMSQT test section scores (math, reading, and writing/language), then multiply that sum by 2. For example, if you scored 70 in each section, your selection index would be (70+70+70) x 2 = 420. Divide your selection index by 10 to find an estimated equivalent SAT score—for this example, it would be 420 ÷ 10 = 42, which corresponds to an SAT score of 1420.

Keep in mind that becoming a commended scholar is an impressive achievement, but it does not guarantee entrance into the finalist stage of the National Merit Scholarship competition. The top 1% of scorers, around 16,000 students, advance as semifinalists. These students have a chance to compete for one of the 7,500 National Merit Scholarships offered.

I hope this helps you gauge where you might fall in terms of qualifying as a commended scholar and the scores you should aim for. Good luck!