PSAT Scores are Available!

With PSAT scores in hand, many juniors wonder about National Merit. While state semifinalist cutoff scores for the class of 2021 won’t be known until next fall, the graphic below provides the best estimates for what those scores might be for our state.

We have provided a column with our “Most Likely” cutoff estimate because students and parents expect a number, but the more informative column is the “Estimated Range.” Most cutoffs will fall in this range. The edges of the range may be less likely, but they remain possibilities. In most years, there are a handful of states that fall outside of these ranges. These are generally smaller states. Eligible juniors with Selection Indexes at or above the official cutoffs will be named as Semifinalists. The cutoffs above are currently estimates. We will not have official cutoffs until August or September of 2020.

Why do we emphasize ranges?
The only predictable thing is unpredictability. Over the last 12 years, cutoff changes have shown a roughly normal distribution. The catch is that there is no way of predicting where on the curve an individual state will fall, as College Board no longer releases any state data. Compass has also found that there is a wider spread of cutoff changes in smaller states (defined as the 16 states with the lowest number of Semifinalists).

Below is a timetable for the PSAT and what to expect.

Know your scores? SEND THEM OUR WAY! Please make sure to send the entire report. You can email us your scores at info@jamiedickenson.com.