Adriana Simmons has qualified as a Semifinalist in the 2011 National Merit® Scholarship Program. As one of the approximately 16,000 high school seniors who are Semifinalists, she has the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,400 National Merit Scholarships to be offered next spring.
Ember Martin is recognized by the National Merit® Scholarship Corporation as a Commended Student in the 2011 National Merit® Scholarship Program. Commended Students are being recognized for the exceptional academic promise demonstrated by their outstanding performance on the qualifying test used for program entry (PSAT). However, Commended Students are not able to continue in the competition for the National Merit® Scholarships to be offered next spring.
Over 1.5 million students took the 2009 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) last October and entered the National Merit Program, a nationwide competition for recognition and awards conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). In April, the 50,000 highest scorers were offered our College Plans Reporting Service. Some 16,000 of those high performers were recently designated Semifinalists on a state representational basis.
The other 34,000 high performers are now being named Commended Students on the basis of a national Selection Index score of 201, applicable to all program participants without regard to state-by-state distribution. Participants who scored at or above the commended level, but below their state or selection unit’s Semifinalist qualifying score, are Commended Students.
The Semifinalist Selection Index on the PSAT for North Carolina was 214 or above. The Commended Student Selection Index on the PSAT for North Carolina was between 201 and 213. The Selection Index on the PSAT is calculated by adding the scores from each of the three sections: Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. The high Selection Index for the PSAT is 240.
