How do I qualify for National Merit, and what are the benefits?

I'm planning to take the PSAT soon, and I've heard that doing well on it can help you qualify for the National Merit Scholarship. Could someone explain what the qualification process involves and what score I need to aim for? Besides the potential scholarship, are there other benefits to being recognized as a National Merit Scholar that could help with college admissions or maybe even receiving more scholarships?

National Merit Scholarship qualification indeed comes from your PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) score. After you take the test, you could potentially move through a series of recognition levels based on your score.

Here are the steps of the process:

1. PSAT/NMSQT Scores: Each year, approximately 1.5 million juniors take the PSAT/NMSQT. Semifinalists are selected from this group of test-takers, representing the top scorers in each state. The Selection Index is used to determine semifinalists, which is the sum of your Math, Reading, and Writing test scores. Note that the cutoff score varies by state and from year to year. You can look at past years' cutoffs to get a rough estimate of what score you'll need.

2. Becoming a Semifinalist: About 16,000 students, or approximately 1% of test-takers, become National Merit Semifinalists. If you are a Semifinalist, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation will contact you in September of your senior year.

3. Becoming a Finalist: To advance to the Finalist round of the competition, Semifinalists must complete an application that includes an essay and information about extracurricular achievements. They also need to have good grades and an SAT score that confirms their previous PSAT/NMSQT performance.

4. Earning Scholarships: From the Finalist group, about 15,000 students are selected as National Merit Scholars and receive a scholarship. Some students receive a one-time $2,500 scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, and others can receive scholarships from corporations or the colleges they plan to attend.

As for additional benefits, being a National Merit Scholar can certainly make your college application more impressive, and it can potentially open up more scholarship opportunities. Many colleges offer significant scholarships to National Merit Scholars. However, this can vary from school to school, so it's something to research during your college search. Plus, this recognition can play a role in college admissions decisions. While it's not a guarantee of admission, it is a strong, nationally recognized academic achievement that can certainly set you apart from other applicants.

Best of luck on your PSAT/NMSQT!