PSAT Test Lab
Get started
National Merit

What PSAT score do you need for National Merit?

Your junior-year PSAT/NMSQT is also the entry test for the National Merit Scholarship Program. It ranks students by one number, the Selection Index, and that number — not your total — decides who is Commended and who is a Semifinalist.

Cut-offs change every year

National Merit Scholarship Corporation sets the Commended cut-off and each state's Semifinalist cut-off every year. The figures here are ranges from recent years for setting a target. Check NMSC's own announcements for your class.

The Selection Index

Each section of the PSAT/NMSQT is scored from 160 to 760. NMSC doubles your Reading and Writing score, adds your Math score and divides by ten. The result runs from 48 to 228.

Reading and Writing counts twice, so ten points there are worth twice as much to your index as ten points in Math. All three students below have a total of 1400.

StudentR&WMathTotalIndex
Strong reader7206801400212
Even split7007001400210
Strong in Math6807201400208
The formula

(2 × R&W + Math) ÷ 10

Commended

≈207–212

one national line

Semifinalist

≈207–224

set state by state

Ranges from recent years. Every full test here gives you an estimated index.

From the October test to a scholarship

  1. 1October, junior yearTake the PSAT/NMSQTOnly the PSAT/NMSQT taken in eleventh grade enters the competition (or the year before you finish high school, if you graduate early). Scores from tenth grade and the PSAT 10 are practice.
  2. 2April, junior yearHigh scorers are identifiedRoughly 50,000 of the more than a million entrants, about the top 3–4%, are named high scorers on the Selection Index and asked to name two colleges.
  3. 3September, senior yearCommended and SemifinalistsAbout two thirds of the high scorers become Commended Students on a single national cut-off. About 16,000 become Semifinalists, the highest scorers in each state.
  4. 4February, senior yearFinalistsSemifinalists who complete an application, with a strong academic record, a school endorsement and an SAT or ACT score that confirms their PSAT, become Finalists. Most Semifinalists do.
  5. 5March–July, senior yearScholarshipsAbout half the Finalists receive a National Merit Scholarship, a corporate-sponsored award or a college-sponsored award.

What each PSAT score range means

Approximate standing among eleventh graders, from the shape of College Board's published percentiles. Each section is scored 160–760, and the total 320–1520.

  • 1400–1520Top 2% of juniors. Selection Index territory for Semifinalist in many states.
  • 1300–1390Top 5%. Commended usually takes a total near the top of this range or above, depending on your section split.
  • 1200–1290Top 12% or so. Strong, and a good sign for the SAT.
  • 1100–1190Top quarter. Above average almost everywhere.
  • 960–1090Around and above the middle for juniors.
  • Below 960Below the middle — the range where focused practice moves scores fastest.

College Board's grade-level benchmarks

College Board publishes a benchmark for each section: the score that shows you are on track to be ready for first-year college courses by the time you graduate. They are a floor, not a target.

Reading and Writing · 11th grade460On track for the SAT's Reading and Writing benchmark of 480. Tenth graders are on track at 430.
Math · 11th grade510On track for the SAT's Math benchmark of 530. Tenth graders are on track at 480.

Common questions

What is the National Merit Selection Index?
It is the number National Merit Scholarship Corporation ranks students by. Take your Reading and Writing section score, double it, add your Math section score, and divide by ten. It runs from 48 to 228. Because Reading and Writing counts twice, two students with the same total can have quite different indexes.
What Selection Index do I need to be Commended?
The Commended cut-off is one national number, set each year. Since the redesigned PSAT/NMSQT arrived in 2015 it has stayed in a narrow band, roughly 207 to 212. NMSC announces the figure for your class in the spring of your junior year.
What Selection Index do I need to be a Semifinalist?
It depends on your state. Each state gets a share of the Semifinalist places based on its number of graduating seniors, so the cut-off is the index that fills that share. In recent years the lowest state cut-offs have been around the Commended line, near 207–209, and the highest around 221–224. NMSC publishes the state cut-offs each September.
Does the PSAT 10 or my sophomore PSAT count?
No. Only the PSAT/NMSQT taken in the year you are in eleventh grade enters the National Merit Scholarship Program. Earlier PSATs are useful practice and a good read on where you stand, but they do not count.
Is my PSAT score a good predictor of my SAT score?
Yes. The PSAT/NMSQT and SAT are reported on the same scale, so a PSAT score is College Board's estimate of what you would have scored on the SAT that day. The SAT goes higher, to 1600, because it includes some harder questions.

Find out where your index stands

A target is only useful once you know your starting point. Sit a full-length timed test and get an estimated score and Selection Index you can compare with the ranges above.

See packagesEstimate your index

Not sure how the exam is structured? Read the format guide.