How to become a national merit semi finalist PSAT

taken from the collegeboard website:

 

Requirements and Instructions for Semifinalists

in the 2013 National Merit

® Scholarship Program

REQUIREMENTS FOR BECOMING A FINALIST

As a Semifinalist named in the fall of 2012, you must advance to Finalist standing before you can be considered

for a Merit Scholarship

® award to be offered in 2013. You must meet all specified requirements and

deadlines, or you will be withdrawn from the competition. To qualify as a Finalist, you must:

1. Continue to meet all program entry requirements (published in the 2011

Official Student Guide to the

PSAT

/NMSQT

®).

2. Be enrolled in the last year of high school and be planning to enroll full time in college in the fall of 2013

or

be enrolled in the first year of college, if grades 9 through 12 were completed in three years or less.

3. Be a citizen of the United States; or be a U.S. lawful permanent resident (or have applied for permanent

residence, the application for which has not been denied) and intend to become a U.S. citizen at

the earliest opportunity allowed by law. If you have not yet become a U.S. citizen, see box below.

4. Be fully endorsed for Finalist standing and recommended for a National Merit Scholarship by your high

school principal (or school official designated by the principal).

5. Have a record of consistently very high academic performance in

all of grades 9 through 12

and in any college course work taken. Your school must provide a complete record of high school

courses you have taken, grades earned, and course work you will take in grade 12. The school should

also notify National Merit Scholarship Corporation (

NMSC) of any noticeable decline in your academic

performance during the current year. If you are now in college, high academic performance must continue

and must be documented by an official transcript of your record (see instructions on page 2 of

this document).

6. Submit the completed application to your high school official as soon as possible using the Online

Scholarship Application (OSA). The school official will complete the school’s sections of the application

for final transmittal to

NMSC by October 10, 2012.

7. Take the

SAT® and earn scores that confirm your 2011 PSAT/NMSQT performance. You must take (or

have taken) a national administration of the

SAT between October 2010 and December 2012. Also, it

is your responsibility

to file a request with the College Board SAT Program to have an official report

of your

SAT scores sent to NMSC (code 0085). See page 2 of this document for detailed information

about authorized

SAT administrations and score reporting.

8. Provide any additional documentation and information that

NMSC requests.

National Merit, Merit Scholarship, Merit Scholar,

and the corporate logo are federally registered service marks of National Merit Scholarship

Corporation.

PSAT/NMSQT is a registered trademark of National Merit Scholarship Corporation and the College Board. SAT is a registered trademark

of the College Board. The College Board was not involved in the production of this document.