A. The National Merit Scholarship Program benefits students scoring extremely well on the PSAT taken during the junior year of high school.

The first step of the program is based entirely on PSAT scores - juniors with the highest PSAT scores (ranked by state) are named National Merit Semifinalists. A national total of 16,000 Semifinalists are chosen in this way, although the state-by-state rankings means that there are state PSAT cutoffs but no definitive national cutoff.

The next step of the National Merit Scholarship Program is to name about 15,0000 National Merit Finalists. While this phase of the process involves school records, SAT scores, and an application, most Semifinalists are also named Finalists. Exceptions are those with weak grades, poor records, or other issues.

National Merit Scholars (who receive aid and awards) are picked from the pool of National Merit Finalists. Scholarships are awarded by the National Merit Scholarship program, by companies, and by colleges. This phase of the process is not based entirely on test scores and may incorporate a number of factors including accomplishments, awards, geography, college plans, etc.

For more information about the National Merit Scholarship Program, visit the website of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

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