Due to the cancellation of the January 2021 PSAT/NMSQT exams, Science Academy Juniors, along with hundreds of thousands of other high school juniors across the country, were unable to enter the National Merit competition this year. However, class of 2022 students can still enter the National Merit competition as long as they have a recent SAT score to submit in lieu of the PSAT score, or take the SAT this spring. This process is known as Alternate Entry.
- Alternate Entrants must first complete the National Merit Scholarship’s Short Form, even if they have not yet taken the SAT. April 1, 2021 is the application deadline.
- Alternate entrants must later send the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) an official report from an SAT taken between August 2020 and June 2021. NMSC (College Board code 0085) must receive scores by October 15th.
Read NMSC’s document Alternate Entry to the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program, which explains more about the process and requirements for both PSAT and SAT takers.
Find out more about the Alternate Entry process in this article from Compass Education Group.
The PSAT/NMSQT is the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. And while this test won’t count toward your college admissions application, the PSAT is still a great trial run for the SAT (and even the ACT). More importantly, your PSAT scores will be used to determine your eligibility and qualification for the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Free Test Prep & Additional Resources:
- The College Board’s PSAT/NMST Practice Test
- Khan Academy: PSAT/NMST test prep