The National Merit Scholarship is the Holy Grail for the overachievers in their third year of high school. A student qualifies by scoring above a particularly high curve on the PSAT/NMSQT, a standardized test made to prepare students for the SAT. The PSAT/NMSQT is taken by all high schoolers during their sophomore and junior years, although the former year is more for the practice and observation of one’s already acquired skills, and those they have yet to hone.
     When October of the junior year arrives, students take the PSAT/NMSQT again, and this time, their scores are sent to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The test is worth 240 points and is meant to mimic the SATs top score of 2400. Once the scores are sent, the students then wait until the end of the summer to receive their scores. The fall of the senior year, students learn who among the class achieved that seemingly unreachable score.
     Out of the 1.5 million kids who take the PSAT/NMSQT every year, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognizes the top 50,000 students for their achievement. Of those 50,000, about 2/3 are “commended” for their achievement but do not receive anything tangible. The top third of the original 50,000 become “Semi-Finalists.” Each state donates equally to the talent pool that makes up the Semi-Finalists. After being named a Semi-Finalist, each student must fill out an application to qualify as a Finalist. The students’ academic achievements, PSAT/NMSQT scores, and application content are all taken into account. Of the 16,000 Semi-Finalists, about 15,000 earn the title of “Finalist” and can win one of 3 different scholarships.
     The National Achievement Scholarship Program runs by similar qualifications, but only accepts the profiles and scores of black Americans. The idea is generally the same, but there are far fewer participants—about 3100 a year—and of those about 1600 are monetarily rewarded.   
          12 students were selected from the River Hill Class of 2010 as National Merit Semi-Finalists. “The essay question was basically the same as the Common Application [for college admissions],” said Semi-Finalist Sam Engel. “It was pretty opened ended, about someone or something that influenced you and why.” Engel chose to write about his passion for saxophone and how he taught lessons to a woman in the area. Another qualifier, Jonathan Reyes, wrote about the influence his father has played in his upbringing. “I’m probably going to use the same essay for some of my college applications,” Reyes asserted.
    The cutoff is high, but the rewards are substantial. The National Merit Scholarship is definitely a goal for juniors to set their sights on.