Are you gearing up to rock the PSAT this fall and wondering what score you need to qualify for National Merit? This guide will give you 51 different answers to that question.
Don't worry, it's not a complicated response. It's just that the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) compares test takers on a state-by-state basis. To become a National Merit Semifinalist, you have to score in the top 1% of students in your state.
This guide will fill you in on all qualifying cutoff scores from coast to coast (plus Alaska and Hawaii) for the PSAT. But first, let's review exactly who qualifies for National Merit.
Students who are US citizens, who plan to go to college, and who take the PSAT/NMSQT in their junior year are eligible to receive National Merit distinctions and scholarships. They also have to do really, really well on the PSAT.
The top 3-4% of scorers are named Commended Scholars—an impressive distinction to put on college applications. The top 1%, or about 16,000 students across the country, are named National Merit Semifinalists.
This is an honor in itself, and it also means you could go on to be named a Finalist and receive scholarship money. Some colleges also award their own merit scholarships to National Merit Semifinalists.
To determine who qualifies for National Merit, NMSC uses a scale called the Selection Index. To get this, NMSC adds your Math, Reading, and Writing section scores, which each fall between 8 and 38, and then multiplies that sum by 2. Thus, the PSAT NMSC Selection Index ranges from 48 to 228.
Using reports from individuals around the country who took the 2021 PSAT, we've compiled a full list of National Merit qualifying scores. (Note that since National Merit cutoffs don't vary much from year to year, this list should still be fairly accurate!)
Students who take the PSAT in their junior year are eligible for National Merit distinction.
Selection Index cutoffs compare the scores of test takers in each state. You'll probably get national percentiles on your PSAT score report, but state percentiles are the ones NMSC uses to award students.
The chart below shows the National Merit Selection Index cutoffs for students who took the PSAT in October 2021 and were named Semifinalists in the fall of 2022:
