PSAT/NMSQT
A National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test for Juniors
Test Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Signup Deadline: Friday, September 6, 2024
Accommodations Request Deadline: Monday, August 26, 2024
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The primary guardian from OnCourse will need to log into the SchoolCash Online Account to purchase the PSAT exam.
More Information:
PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide, The Parents Guide to PSAT/NMSQT, Preparing for the PSAT/NMSQT, Top PSAT Tips Strategies
PSAT/NMSQT
The PSAT/NMSQT is the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The PSAT is a great primer for the SAT, and even the ACT, but it’s more than just a trial run. PSAT scores are used to identify National Merit Scholars and award merit scholarships. More than 3.4 million high school students (mostly juniors and sophomores) take this nationwide, multiple-choice test every year.
All students who want to be a National Merit Scholar must take it as juniors. As a Sophomore, it is a pre-test to qualify as a National Merit Scholar.
What is a National Merit Scholar?
Winning a National Merit Scholarship is no easy task. Each year, approximately 50,000 students (out of 1.3 million juniors) qualify for recognition based on their high PSAT score. Around 34,000 of these students receive Letters of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. While these letters don't include a scholarship check, they look good to admissions offices and can be listed on your college application.
The remaining 16,000 students or so—those whose scores put them in the top 99th percentile in their state—become National Merit Semifinalists. Of these, around half win scholarships after submitting their high school records, as well as recommendations from teachers and a personal essay. Some students win a $2,500 scholarship from the National Merit Corporation, while others may win larger awards from colleges hoping to attract top scorers.
CHECK OUT EACH SECTION OF THE TEST BY CLICKING ON THE NAMES BELOW
There are a few practice options available to students before test day.
Download Bluebook™ for the following practice resources:
Test Preview: A short set of untimed questions lets students experience digital testing and try out the tools. They will not receive scores or any feedback on their answers.
Full-Length Practice: These tests are timed like a real test, except students can move forward from one section to the next before time expires. Full-length practice scores will be available in Bluebook on My Practice. A College Board account or Sign-In Ticket login credentials are needed to access Bluebook. They can use either for My Practice too.
Official Digital SAT Prep on Khan Academy will customize practice for students, identifying specific goals and giving them practice questions with full explanations.
Paper practice tests are available for students who will be testing with accommodations that require a paper format, or for students who are just looking for additional sample questions.
Download and print paper practice tests for PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 8/9.
Practice tests for assistive technology
Practice for the PSAT/NMSQT and the PSAT 8/9 using assistive technology.
Requirements for entry
To participate in the National Merit® Scholarship Program, a student must:
Take the PSAT/NMSQT® in the specified year of the high school program and no later than the third year in grades 9 through 12, regardless of grade classification or educational pattern; and
Be enrolled as a high school student (traditional or homeschooled), progressing normally toward graduation or completion of high school, and planning to accept admission to college no later than the fall following completion of high school; and
Attend high school in the United States, the District of Columbia, or U.S. commonwealth and territory; or meet the citizenship requirements for students attending high school outside the United States.
When to take the qualifying test
Students who plan to spend the usual four years in high school (grades 9 through 12) before entering college full-time must take the PSAT/NMSQT in their third year (usually grade 11, junior year). They will be entering the competition that ends when awards are offered in the spring of their fourth high school year (usually grade 12, senior year), the same year they will leave high school and enter college.
Some schools encourage their sophomore students to take the PSAT/NMSQT for guidance purposes; however, if these students are spending four years in grades 9 through 12, they must take the test again when they are juniors to enter the National Merit Scholarship Program.
