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The PSAT/Na+onal Merit Scholarship Program
April 25, 2013
Mrs. Carlie McGinty
• Mrs. McGinty is the school counselor for students with last names N-‐Sh.
Over the past 10 years I have tutored over
700 students for the PSAT/SAT/ACT.
412-‐833-‐1600 ext. 2404
School Counselors
• Mr. Malarkey A -‐ Di
• Dr. Rullo Do -‐ Ka
• Mr. Marquis Ke – M
• Mrs. McGinty N – Sh
• Mrs.Kirk Si -‐ Z
Why Take the PSAT?
• Prepare for the SAT • Receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses
• Students who take the PSAT score on average 136 points higher on the SAT than students who never took the PSAT
• Scholarship opportuni+es
How is the PSAT scored?
• Three sec+ons -‐ Reading, Math, Wri+ng
• Each sec+on 20 – 80
AVERAGES CR Math Wri+ng
10th 43 43 41
11th 48 48 46
What is the Selec=on Index?
• The Sum of the Cri+cal Reading, Math and Wri+ng Scores
How do you become a Na+onal Merit Semi-‐ Finalist?
• You must take the PSAT in October of your
JUNIOR YEAR
• You must be a U.S. Ci+zen or be a U.S. lawful permanent resident and intend to become a U.S. ci+zen at the earliest opportunity allowed by law.
How do you become a Na+onal Merit Semi-‐ Finalist?
• Your selec+on index must be in the 99% compared to students in Pennsylvania.
• Over the past four years the required Selec+on Index for PA has been 214-‐217. Last year the cut-‐off for PA was 214.
What is the cutoff for a Na+onal Merit Semi -‐ Finalist?
• Every state has a different cut-‐off.
• For the Class of 2013 WV had a cut-‐off of 204 CT had a cut-‐off of 223
What is the cutoff for a Commended Student?
For the past several years it has been 200 -‐ 203. For the Class of 2013 it was 200. For the Class of 2014 it is 203.
How do you become a finalist?
• 90% of all semi-‐finalists become finalists
• Semi-‐finalists fill out an applica+on in October of their senior year – essay, transcripts
• Must take the SAT your junior year
USC Finalists
USC usually has 7-‐14 Finalists and
12-‐20 Commended Students (some years a few more, some years a few less)
Class of 2013 14 Finalists 15 Commended
Scholarship Opportuni+es
• Several schools offer significant merit scholarships to Finalists
• Finalists can apply for a $2,500 scholarship that can used at any school in the country
How to Prepare for the PSAT
• Take +med prac+ce tests
• Study vocabulary • Take a prep class /Work with a tutor • Buy Official Guide to the SAT book
• Establish a schedule and work on your own
Be sure and consider the ACT
• We recommend that all students
consider taking the
ACT their junior year
Best Way to Prepare
A few people you know who are Na=onal Merit Scholars
• Jerry Greenfield -‐ founder Ben & Jerry’s • Ben Bernanke -‐ Chairman Federal Reserve • Bill Gates -‐Founder, MicrosoX • John Roberts -‐ Chief Jus=ce of the Supreme Court • Elena Kagan -‐ Assoc. Jus=ce of the Supreme Court • Jeff Bezos -‐ CEO, Amazon • Peter Thiel -‐ Founder, Paypal • M. Night Shyamaian -‐ Director, writer, producer • Stephanie Meyer -‐ author of the Twilight series
A few people you know who are Na=onal Merit Scholars
• And………. • Megan Adamo
• Qinglan Huang
THANK YOU FOR COMING
• www.collegeboard.org/quickstart
