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National Merit does not use your 320 to 1520 total. It uses the Selection Index, which weights Reading and Writing twice as heavily as Math. Enter your two section scores below.
(2 × Reading and Writing + Math) ÷ 10
Both sections score 160 to 760, so the index runs from 48 to 228. The doubling is the part most students miss: a point of Reading and Writing is worth two points of Math for scholarship purposes.
| Student | Reading & Writing | Math | Total | Selection Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 700 | 700 | 1400 | 210 |
| B | 650 | 750 | 1400 | 205 |
| C | 750 | 650 | 1400 | 215 |
Identical totals, ten points of index between the best and worst distribution. In a year where a state cutoff sits at 210, that spread decides who is a semifinalist.
Semifinalist cutoffs are set per state and move every year, based on how that year's juniors in that state performed. The most competitive states generally sit in the low 220s and the least competitive in the low 210s, with the national commended level below both.
Treat any specific number you find online as approximate, and check the National Merit Scholarship Corporation's announcement for the year you are sitting. This calculator gives you your index, not a prediction of whether it will qualify.
Only the PSAT/NMSQT taken in eleventh grade. Earlier sittings are practice and do not qualify you, which makes them a genuinely useful low-stakes rehearsal.
Take a full-length adaptive PSAT form and CruxStudy calculates the Selection Index for you at the end, alongside a content-area breakdown.
Take a PSAT practice test Read the full explainerMultiply your Reading and Writing section score by two, add your Math section score, then divide by ten. With both sections scored 160 to 760, the index runs from 48 to 228.
The formula doubles it before adding Math, so one point of Reading and Writing moves the index twice as much as one point of Math. If you are near a cutoff, that is where the study time should go.
Cutoffs are set per state and change every year, generally landing somewhere in the 210s to low 220s for semifinalist. Check the official announcement for your state and year.
No. Colleges never see it. It matters for National Merit and as an early read on your SAT.
CruxStudy is a college admission test prep program by CruxSci. Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the College Board or National Merit Scholarship Corporation. PSAT/NMSQT is a trademark of the College Board.