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Historical National Merit Cutoffs 2008 to Present

By September 1, 2023November 5th, 2023National Merit, PSAT

Below are the Semifinalist cutoffs for the 15 years from the class of 2008 to the class of 2024. Because of the change in PSAT scoring with the class of 2017, earlier cutoffs have been restated on the new scale and are flagged with an asterisk. See our Semifinalist cutoff post for a complete analysis of the class of 2025.

StateClass of 2008*Class of 2009*Class of 2010*Class of 2011*Class of 2012*Class of 2013*Class of 2014*Class of 2015*Class of 2016*Class of 2017Class of 2018Class of 2019Class of 2020Class of 2021Class of 2022Class of 2023Class of 2024
Alabama214214214215216214216213214215216216216212212212210
Alaska217216216217216211216215212213217215213212208210209
Arizona216214215214217216217217218219220220219218218214216
Arkansas208211210210212209212212211213215214214212211210210
California219219219220221220221221221221222223222221221220221
Colorado217217217216218216218217218218220221220217217217216
Connecticut219219219220220219221220220220221222221220220221221
Delaware220220220218219218219218218218221222220219220218219
District of Columbia221221221221221221222222222222223223223222224223223
Florida216216216215217216217216217217219219219216217216216
Georgia217218217218219217219218219219220220220219219218217
Hawaii217218217218218216218217217217220220219217217215217
Idaho211214214214216213216216214214216214215214214215211
Illinois217217217217218217218218218219221221221219218219219
Indiana217217216216217216218216217217219219218215215214216
Iowa214215214214215213215213214215216216215212211212210
Kansas216216216216217216218217217217219218218214215214214
Kentucky214214214214216214216215215215217218217214212212211
Louisiana212214213215214214214214216214216217215212213213214
Maine216216217217216215218216216214215217215213211215213
Maryland221220221220221220221221221221222223222221224222221
Massachusetts221221221221221221222221221222222223223222221220222
Michigan214214214214215213215215215216219219219216217218217
Minnesota217217218217218217218218217219220220219218218216216
Mississippi209208210212212211213213214212213215214211213210209
Missouri216217216215217215217214214216217217217214214213214
Montana213214211214214210213212211210214214214210208207209
Nebraska213212213215214213214214214215215216216213210212210
Nevada214212209214214214216214216214217218218215214210211
New Hampshire218216217217218216217216217216217219218215214213215
New Jersey221220221221221221222222222222223223223222222223223
New Mexico214214214212215214215215214213215215213211210208207
New York220218219219220218220219220219221221221220220219220
North Carolina217218217217219217218216218218219220219217218217217
North Dakota209208209209211207211208209209211212212209207209207
Ohio216217216216217216218217218217219219218215215216216
Oklahoma213214213212214212215212214213216215214211210211208
Oregon217217217218218217219219218219220221220217220216216
Pennsylvania217217217218218217219218219218219220220217218218219
Rhode Island216217219216217216218216216217216220218216213216215
South Carolina215216216214216214215214216215217216215212213213209
South Dakota210212212212212211212210209209215215214209210212209
Tennessee217217217216217215216216216218218219219215215215217
Texas218218218218220218220219220220221221221219220219219
Utah209210212210214212214214212215216215215212212211209
Vermont218217217216219217219217217215217216216212211213212
Virginia219220219219220219221220221221222222222221221221219
Washington218219219219220218220220220220222222221220220220220
West Virginia207210210209211207210208209209211212212209207207207
Wisconsin214215213214214213215214214215217216216213214213213
Wyoming207208208209211207210211209209213212212209208207207
​U.S. Territories207208208209211207210208209209211212212209207207207
​​Studying Abroad221221221221221221222222222222223223223222224223223
​​​Commended Student207208208209211207210208209209211212212209207207207

*Restated on new scale

All classes prior to 2017 used a Selection Index ranging from 60–240. The Selection Index was calculated by adding the 20–80 scores received in Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. The new PSAT was an almost complete overhaul. The content changed. The scoring changed. The scaling changed. And the distribution of results changed. New PSAT scores consist of an Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score (ERW) and a Math score, both ranging from 160–760. As in previous periods, the ERW score carries twice the weight when determining the Selection Index. The index can calculated by dropping the zero from the 160–760 section scores, doubling ERW and adding in the Math. For example, a student with a score of 720 ERW and 740 Math has a Selection Index of 218 (72 x 2 + 74). Because of the weighting of ERW, a Selection Index cannot be determined from the Total Score (320–1520) alone. Students with the same 1460 Total Score can have different Selection Indexes.

The Restatement Process

Once the NMSF cutoffs for the Class of 2017 were announced, Compass was able to produce an estimated alignment of the old and new scales. For several reasons, the structure of the new test compressed the range of NMSF cutoffs. Those at the lower end of the range increased significantly, while those at the high end stayed flat or went down. This created an odd situation where the highest possible score (228 versus 240) went down, but most cutoffs went up. These changes didn’t make it harder or easier to qualify as a Semifinalist (essentially the same number of students qualified in the Class of 2017 in each state as qualified in the Class of 2016). The changes did, however, make it harder to interpret scores. The impact is easily seen on a stair step plot of NMSF cutoffs from lowest to highest.

In a normal year, state cutoffs increase and decrease by small, varying amounts. One state may have a talented class or an increase in test-takers, while another has an “off” year. The scatterplot on the left shows how scores changed between 2015 and 2016—a linear relationship, as expected.

The scatterplot on the right shows how scores matched up between 2016 and 2017. By calculating a best-fit polynomial, we produced a conversion table to translate old PSAT Selection Indexes to new PSAT Selection Indexes. As can be seen in the way that points are scattered above and below the line and curve, year-to-year matchups are never perfect. A conversion table based exclusively on the 2016–2017 score changes should not be viewed as definitive. We consider it the best available comparison tool.

Below are original cutoffs on the old SAT:

National Merit Semifinalist Cutoffs 2009–2016 (Old PSAT Scale)

State20092010201120122013201420152016
Alabama209208210211209211207209
Alaska212211214212204212210206
Arizona209210209213212214213215
Arkansas204203203205202205206204
California217218219221220223222223
Colorado213213212215212215213215
Connecticut218218219220218221220220
Delaware219219215217215218215216
District of Columbia221221223223221224224225
Florida211211210214211214211214
Georgia215214215218214217215218
Hawaii216214215216211215214214
Idaho208209208211207211211208
Illinois214214214216213216215215
Indiana213211212214211215212213
Iowa210209209210207210207208
Kansas211211211214212216213213
Kentucky209209208212208211210210
Louisiana208207210209209209208211
Maine212213213212210215212211
Maryland220221220221219223221222
Massachusetts221221223223221224223223
Michigan209209209210207210210210
Minnesota214215213215213215215214
Mississippi201203205205204207207209
Missouri213211210213210213209209
Montana208204208209203207206204
Nebraska206207210209207209209209
Nevada206202208209208212208211
New Hampshire211213214216211214212213
New Jersey220221221223221224224225
New Mexico209208206210208210210208
New York216218217219215219218219
North Carolina215214214217213215212215
North Dakota201202202204200204201202
Ohio213211212214212215213215
Oklahoma208207206209206210206208
Oregon213213215216213218217215
Pennsylvania213214216215214217216217
Rhode Island213217211213211216212212
South Carolina212211208211208210209211
South Dakota205205205206204206203202
Tennessee213213212214210212212212
Texas215216215219216219218220
Utah203206203208205208208206
Vermont213213212217214217213214
Virginia219218218220217222219222
Washington217217218220216220219219
West Virginia203203202204200203201202
Wisconsin210207209209207210208208
Wyoming201201202204200203204202
~Commended201201202204200203201202

 

Art Sawyer

Art graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, where he was the top-ranked liberal arts student in his class. Art pioneered the one-on-one approach to test prep in California in 1989 and co-founded Compass Education Group in 2004 in order to bring the best ideas and tutors into students' homes and computers. Although he has attained perfect scores on all flavors of the SAT and ACT, he is routinely beaten in backgammon.

One Comment

  • Diotima says:

    This is extremely helpful, thank you. I feel much more secure about my son’s 223 in CA knowing that it’s roughly equivalent to a 226+ on the old PSAT.

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