Now that the PSAT testing season is over, here is some guidance on what comes next.
PSAT Results To Be Delivered By Mid-November
With the conclusion of PSAT testing for 2024, it’s a good time to reflect upon the PSAT exam. In September, the College Board announced National Merit Semifinalists for the class of 2025. Now, the class of 2026 is stepping up, and results have come out quickly. If your student took the PSAT by October 11th, scores became available on October 24th. For students who completed testing by October 26th, scores will be available by November 7th. Any additional scores will be released on November 14th.
As we’ve noted before, the PSAT is a single purpose test whose objective is to identify the nation’s National Merit Scholars. Each year, approximately 17,000 students are named semifinalists. That number is winnowed down to about 15,000 students who are named finalists. From there, some 7,500 students will be eligible to receive a National Merit scholarship.
The College Board determines scores based on a selection index number which is easily calculated. To determine your student’s National Merit Scholarship Index, you take their reading/writing score and double it. To that number, you add their math score and then divide by ten. For example, if your student scored a 700 on reading/writing and a 750 on math, you would multiply 700 x 2 = 1400. To that, you would add 750 and then divide the sum by ten, arriving at their NMSI of 215.
Minnesota Numbers
Cutoffs for the National Merit Semifinalist level vary from year to year and from state to state. For the class of 2025, the cutoff for Minnesota’s National Merit Semifinalists was 217. For the classes of 2024 and 2023, the cutoff was 2016.
There is another level of recognition called the Commended Scholar. That number is determined on a national basis and also varies from year to year. For 2025, the cutoff for the Commended Scholar level was 208. Approximately 36,000 students are named a Commended Scholar nationwide.
When Will I Find Out If My Student “Made the Cut”?
Formal notification of Semifinalist status isn’t announced until September of the student’s senior year. Flying Colors will keep you posted if any new information comes to light before then.
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