What do you have to make on the psat to be a national merit scholar?

welllll to be a national merit semifinalist, there is a cut-off score for each state that changes every year. im in ct and i got a 219 in 2006, which qualified me. there are about 16,000 semifinalists each year. to be a finalist, you have to submit your school records, have a recommendation, and write an essay about your hopes for your future etc. there are then about 15,000 finalists (basically, it would just be embarring to be a semifinalist and not a finalist). then, out of the pool of finalists, the national merit SCHOLARS are chosen, and there are about 8,000 of those and they get scholarships (corporate, from national merit, from colleges they list as first choice- only one scholarship). so the psat score alone will only get you to semifinalist status- then your grades start counting.