Who takes it
Mostly 11th graders, and some 10th graders. It is the same test as the PSAT 10, which 10th graders take in the spring; only the PSAT/NMSQT counts for National Merit.
Test guide
The PSAT/NMSQT and National Merit.
The PSAT most students take at school in October of 11th grade, and the test that National Merit uses.
Students usually enter National Merit through the PSAT/NMSQT in 11th grade, if they meet the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s (NMSC’s) entry requirements. National Merit uses the test’s Selection Index to name Commended Students and Semifinalists, and Semifinalists can go on to become Finalists and compete for scholarships. A strong score helps, but no one can say ahead of time how it will turn out.
This page is for students taking the PSAT/NMSQT, usually in 10th or 11th grade. For a younger student, see the PSAT 8/9 guide. It is from Flashy, free PSAT and SAT practice that adapts to each student. Flashy is not connected to the College Board or to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Test facts checked against College Board and NMSC sources on October 11, 2026.
The test itself.
When and where
At school, during a testing window in October. The school signs students up, so ask a counselor about the date. The College Board lists each year’s window on its test dates page.
What is on it
Reading and Writing (54 questions, 64 minutes) and Math (44 questions, 70 minutes), on a computer or tablet in the Bluebook app. Each section is scored from 160 to 760, for a total of 320 to 1520.
Where the points are.
How the scored questions on the PSAT/NMSQT split across content areas. Algebra and Advanced Math are about two-thirds of scored Math questions, so they deserve the most Math practice. The four Reading and Writing areas are close to even, so none can be skipped.
| Content area | Share | Scored questions |
|---|---|---|
| Information and Ideas | about 26% | 12–14 |
| Craft and Structure | about 28% | 13–15 |
| Expression of Ideas | about 20% | 8–12 |
| Standard English Conventions | about 26% | 11–15 |
| Content area | Share | Scored questions |
|---|---|---|
| Algebra | about 35% | 13–15 |
| Advanced Math | about 32.5% | 12–14 |
| Problem-Solving and Data Analysis | about 20% | 7–9 |
| Geometry and Trigonometry | about 12.5% | 4–6 |
Source: College Board, Assessment Framework for the Digital SAT Suite. Each section also has a few unscored questions.
How National Merit uses the score.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a yearly competition for recognition and college scholarships, run by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).
- 1A Selection Index from the score
The PSAT/NMSQT score report includes a Selection Index, (2 × Reading and Writing + Math) ÷ 10, on a scale of 48 to 228. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) uses it to decide which students are recognized: Commended Students by one national cutoff, Semifinalists by a cutoff set for each state. The cutoffs can change each year.
Source: Scoring your PSAT/NMSQT practice test (Selection Index)
- 2Commended Students and Semifinalists
Every entrant who meets NMSC’s requirements is considered. Its levels of recognition include Commended Students and Semifinalists, the higher of the two.
- 3Finalists and scholarships
Semifinalists can go on toward Finalist standing and National Merit Scholarships. NMSC sets each step’s requirements, cutoffs and dates every year and publishes them on its website.
To enter, a student must also meet NMSC’s entry requirements. Numbers, cutoffs, dates and rules change every year, so check them on the NMSC website rather than here. For a sense of past cutoffs by state, see the Semifinalist qualifying scores published by NMSC in its Guide to the National Merit Scholarship Program.
What to do now, by grade.
- 8–98th or 9th grade
Take the PSAT 8/9 if your school offers it, and use its score report to see which skills to build. There is nothing to do for National Merit yet.
- 1010th grade
Take the PSAT 10 in the spring, or the PSAT/NMSQT in October if your school offers it to 10th graders, as practice. Use the score report to pick skills to work on before 11th grade.
- 1111th grade
Ask the school for the October PSAT/NMSQT date, take a full-length official practice test in Bluebook first, and read NMSC’s entry requirements. Students usually enter National Merit through this test, if they meet NMSC’s entry requirements.
Questions parents ask.
Can a 10th grader enter National Merit with this year’s test?
Usually not. The College Board says students usually enter through the PSAT/NMSQT in 11th grade, so a 10th grader’s score is good practice. NMSC sets the rules, including for students who plan to finish high school early; check its website.
What score does my student need?
National Merit uses the Selection Index, not the total PSAT score. NMSC notifies high scorers in the September after the test year, which for most students is the fall of 12th grade; students who finish high school early follow a different timeline. The cutoffs are one national cutoff for Commended Students and one for each state for Semifinalists, and they can change each year. So there is no single number Flashy can give you, and Flashy cannot predict them.
What if my student misses the test?
Ask the school right away about another day while the testing window is open. If it has closed, read NMSC’s page for students who could not take the test; NMSC decides what is possible.
Is Flashy’s progress the same as a PSAT/NMSQT score?
No. Progress in Flashy is an estimate from practice. It is never an official score or a Selection Index, and nobody can promise a National Merit result.
How to prepare.
The PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT share content and format, so the College Board’s free practice in Bluebook prepares a student for both. Leave time before October to work on the skills a practice test shows are weakest.
- 1Get to know the test
Take a free, full-length official practice PSAT/NMSQT in the College Board’s Bluebook app, the same app used on test day.
- 2Find the weak skills
Use the practice score report to see which Reading and Writing and Math skills need the most work.
- 3Practice and review those skills
Work on those skills a little at a time, and read the explanation for every question your student misses.
- 4Check with another practice test
A second full-length official practice test shows what has improved and what still needs work.
These steps follow the College Board’s official practice page.
How Flashy fits.
In Flashy, a student preparing for the PSAT/NMSQT practices Math and Reading and Writing questions written for it. A PSAT 10 student practices with the same questions, because the two tests are the same.
You and your student see how each skill is coming along. That progress is an estimate from practice, not a PSAT/NMSQT score or a Selection Index. We never promise a score or an admission.
What your student does in Flashy.
- 1Practices a few minutes a day
PSAT or SAT questions matched to their test. Difficulty adapts over time to their answers, skill by skill. You choose 5 to 120 minutes a day.
- 2Sees how to solve each one
A step-by-step explanation follows every question, so a mistake turns into something they understand.
- 3Studies with Spark when stuck
Spark, Flashy’s AI learning companion, goes over a question they missed or marked, explains an idea they never learned, or teaches a short lesson built from their gaps.
For example, after a missed question
Your student opens the question with Spark. Spark asks what they tried, then talks through where it went wrong, one step at a time. Then Spark gives them one more question like it, and they solve that one on their own.
What it costs
- Free: every feature, plus 30 minutes a month to Study with Spark.
- Plus, $69 a month per student: 4 hours a month to Study with Spark.
- Pro, $149 a month per student: 12 hours a month to Study with Spark.
Working through a missed question with Spark uses the plan’s monthly time to Study with Spark. Practice and step-by-step explanations stay open after it runs out, and the time refills the next month.
No credit card needed to start. See full pricing.
A sample Flashy question · Math · Linear functions
A monthly phone plan is modeled by a linear function D(g), where D(g) is the total monthly bill, in dollars, when the customer uses g gigabytes of data. A customer who uses 4 GB pays $52, and a customer who uses 9 GB pays $77. Which of the following defines D?
- D(g) = 5g + 52
- D(g) = 5g + 32
- D(g) = 25g + 32
- D(g) = 5g − 32
Answer: B
Step-by-step explanation
The slope is a = (77 − 52)/(9 − 4) = 25/5 = 5 dollars per GB. Using D(4) = 52: 52 = 5(4) + b, so b = 52 − 20 = 32. Therefore D(g) = 5g + 32.
Choice B is correct.
Choice A is incorrect — (D(g) = 5g + 52) uses the y-coordinate of the first data point as the y-intercept; the student wrote b = 52 because D(4) = 52, without subtracting 5 × 4 from it.
Choice C is incorrect — (D(g) = 25g + 32) reads the rise D(9) − D(4) = 25 as the slope without dividing by the run; the student computed the difference of the dollar amounts but forgot to divide by the difference of the GB inputs.
Choice D is incorrect — (D(g) = 5g − 32) flips the sign of the y-intercept; the student computed 52 − 5(4) = 32 but wrote the result with the wrong sign in the function rule.
Sources
The test facts on this page come from these official pages, checked October 11, 2026. They back the facts about the tests, not Flashy’s own claims. Dates and rules change, so check the source before you plan around them.
- College Board: How is the PSAT/NMSQT different from the PSAT 10 and PSAT 8/9?
- College Board: A parent’s guide to the digital PSAT/NMSQT
- College Board: How the PSAT/NMSQT is structured
- College Board: What do my SAT Suite scores mean?
- College Board: SAT Suite test dates and deadlines
- College Board: National Merit Scholarship Program
- College Board: Scoring your PSAT/NMSQT practice test (Selection Index)
- National Merit Scholarship Corporation: Program recognition (Commended Students and Semifinalists)
- National Merit Scholarship Corporation: When qualifying scores are available
- National Merit Scholarship Corporation: Guide to the National Merit Scholarship Program (past Semifinalist qualifying scores by state)
- National Merit Scholarship Corporation: Entry requirements
- National Merit Scholarship Corporation: When to take the test
- National Merit Scholarship Corporation: Unable to take the test?
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