The PSAT is a test most students think is of little importance, but hidden behind this practice test happens to be the gateway to one of the most prestigious scholarships in the nation: the National Merit Scholarship. A small portion of Chamblee seniors have made it as semifinalists, meaning their score has qualified as being top 1% in the nation.

The National Merit Scholarship factors in the PSAT, determining a National Merit Index (NMI), a numerical value calculated by doubling the reading/writing score, adding the math score, then dividing by 10. The cutoff varies from state to state, with the 2025 Georgia cutoff being an NMI of 220. Qualifying for National Merit opens doors for students, with the opportunity to win $2,500 and prestigious scholarships from many schools.

“National Merit is an academic competition for juniors/seniors around the country, and if somebody gets into the running, they’ll be asked to fill out an application. If the application is good enough, they’ll receive financial aid as well as other benefits,” said Owen Tang (‘26).

This year, Chamblee has dominated the competition in the county. Out of the 18 people who qualified in our county for the semi-finals, with numerous test takers, Chamblee claimed 12 of these spots.

“I think this shows that Chamblee has many dedicated members of the school, and people really strive to do their best. I believe the reason for that is because, out of the twelve, we have such varied interests,” said Trisha Kamat (‘26). “We all either play a sport, have an interest in the arts, or are in programs, and I think we have successful, driven students due to the variety [of extracurriculars that Chamblee offers, putting us ahead of these other schools.”

Students say one of the biggest benefits of National Merit is the prestige, proving to be a top student can come with opportunities and a possible edge in an application process.

“Semi-finalist is a great thing to put on an application, and the competition does not end before a lot of deadlines for early action or early decisions. Currently, putting semi-finalists on is the highest thing you can get,” said Tang.

There is more that goes into the award than the PSAT, though the test is a way to sort candidates; to become a finalist, a full application is required.  

“I did some studying before the test to make sure that I would be able to get a good enough score on the PSAT to get to the application part. Now I’m really working to build a good application for the finalist process,” said Dutch Clarke (‘26).

Something that makes National Merit unique is that it’s all about measurables, meaning, if a student is selected as a semifinalist, it’s due to their scores being better than others.

“It’s about showing that you have the capabilities to perform well, that you are intellectual in some manner, and it helps colleges recognize that as well,” said Kamat. “Because it’s not open to interpretation, it’s a standardized way of saying this student has performed well, and we want to award them for it.”

Only a select few will make National Merit, but some students believe that there are no downsides to giving it a try, as the positives greatly outweigh the negatives.

“Everybody should try for the merit,” said Joshua Loventhal (‘26). “Even if you don’t make the cut, you still get practice on the SAT, which is a vital part of a college application.”