Editing PSAT/NMSQT (section)

== Format and scoring==
{{See also|National Merit Scholarship Program}}

Students register for the exam through high schools that are members of the College Board. The test is composed of two sections: reading and Writing and Math. Each section has two modules. Each Reading and Writing module lasts 32 minutes, and each Math module lasts 35 minutes, for a total of 2 hours and 14 minutes.

The PSAT changed its format and content again in the Fall of 2023, continuing the transition to digital tests. The Reading and Writing Sections are combined into one section score, and the Math section now allows calculators on all sections. The scores for each section range from 120 to 760, adding up to a maximum score of 1520.  Yet the National Merit Scholarship Corporation takes each section score, scored on a scale of 6 to 38, sums it, and then doubles that sum to devise the Selection Index, ranging from 36 to 228.

===Levels of recognition===
There are three levels of recognition: "Commended", Semi-Finalists, and Finalists. About 34,000 students, which is 3-4% of all PSAT takers, are "commended" and receive Letters of Commendation.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-01-27|title=Understanding the National Merit Scholarship Program|url=https://www.sparkadmissions.com/blog/understanding-the-national-merit-scholarship-program/|access-date=2021-10-05|website=Spark Admissions}}</ref>

The "commended" cut-off is determined at whichever score yields the 96th percentile nationally. It rose from 202 for the 2006 Program (2004 PSAT) to 203 for the 2007 Program (2005 PSAT).{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}} It was 205 for the 2008 Program (2006 PSAT) and 209 for the 2009 Program (2007 PSAT).

Students are confirmed as semifinalists as seniors, one year after taking the PSAT. Afterward, students must complete an application to become finalists that includes grade point average, extracurricular activities, school recommendations, and awards and honors alongside a confirming SAT or [[ACT (test)|ACT]] score. Approximately 95% of semifinalists quality as finalists as of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 2024 |title=Guide to the National Merit® Scholarship Program |url=https://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/images/gid2/editor_documents/guide_to_the_national_merit_scholarship_program.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912024504/https://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/images/gid2/editor_documents/guide_to_the_national_merit_scholarship_program.pdf?gid=2&pgid=61&sessionid=c7615951-b828-4b3d-ad1a-e6c9380f3b24&cc=1 |archive-date=September 12, 2024 |access-date=September 12, 2024}}</ref>