What PSAT score do I need in order to qualify for national merit honors?
First, only juniors are considered for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Qualification for National Merit is based on your Selection Index, which is simply the sum of your three scaled scores for Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. The range of Selection Index scores is thus 60-240. There are four primary levels of honors that you can receive as part of the National Merit program: Commended Student, Semi-Finalist, Finalist, and Scholar. The cut-off score for Commended Students is set nationally for the top 50,000 scorers. In the most recent year, the qualifying Selection Index was 200. Semi-Finalists are the top scorers in each state, so the cut-off varies from state-to-state. The most recent California cut-off for Semi-Finalists was 217. Approximately 95% of Semi-Finalists become Finalists by meeting minimum academic standards. About half of these students go on to receive scholarships as National Merit Scholars. Some scholarships are open only to the children of employees at a
