Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was commended in PSAT and then scored 1600 on the SAT. Included the commended status in application and got into an Ivy and a top 5 school.

Your kid is smart, how come you're so dumb you don't realize the 1600 SAT did everything and the "commended" (lol) did nothing?

600 in

Hah! It showed AdCom that the kid can get a commended in PSAT and then get motivated and get 1600 in SAT. I would take such a kid who shows tremedous growth if I was the adcom.

My kid put it down for an HYPSM. Why not? He took ACT so it did show something a little different.


What if they had a 35/36 on the Act? Wouldn’t commended look worse in comparison?

I’m the PP and my did actually have a 35 or 36 ACT. I think it shows neither test was a mistake. NM Commended means the top 3-4% of all test takers - it’s not a participation trophy, since 97% of kids don’t get it. I have another kid who was a NMS and I know there was hardly a difference in their scores, and I think both have every reason to include it on their apps.

I got a 1260 on my SATs and was Commended. Times sure have changed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coming out of TJ, any PSAT result is totally meaningless. It’s in the noise.

Well, the vast majority of students in this country do not go to TJ, so what's your point?

This is related to a parent whose kid graduated last year and she’s raising a ruckus because TJ didn’t rush to make a big deal over the commended status. There’s a giant thread in another party of the site about it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coming out of TJ, any PSAT result is totally meaningless. It’s in the noise.

Well, the vast majority of students in this country do not go to TJ, so what's your point?

Read the news.

I know about what happened at TJ, but that's not what this thread is about specifically. So again, what is your point?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school just now told us that our child received the Commended award. How much do you think it helps to have it listed in an application?

Little to none...your SAT score is most important. Nice you also did well on the PSAT, but who cares.

Hello TJ's attorney!

Just stating an obvious fact. The PSAT scores are important for various scholarships tied to those scores, but little else. Confusing or surprising to you?

It would be odd, but do you think a college cares that your PSAT score was a 1500 yet your SAT score was a 1400 (this would be quite strange admittedly). Conversely, do you think they care your PSAT score was 1300 if your SAT score is 1580?

Yep. My kid was a 1500 in PSAT (finalist) and 1590 in the SATs (1 sitting) but I don't think it made a difference. He was not the right race/ethnicity for the schools that he targeted (and yeah, he did have the GPA and ECs to go with this).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coming out of TJ, any PSAT result is totally meaningless. It’s in the noise.

Well, the vast majority of students in this country do not go to TJ, so what's your point?

Read the news.

DC almost did not include it because they ran out of space on the common app. Ended up putting it down and removing a school-based award. In my opinion, this award really did not matter because their SAT was high, so the commended award was not proving anything that the colleges would not know. Anyway got into their ED school in December - a T25 school.

Anonymous wrote:My kid was commended in PSAT and then scored 1600 on the SAT. Included the commended status in application and got into an Ivy and a top 5 school.

Your kid is smart, how come you're so dumb you don't realize the 1600 SAT did everything and the "commended" (lol) did nothing?

Anonymous wrote:Coming out of TJ, any PSAT result is totally meaningless. It’s in the noise.

Well, the vast majority of students in this country do not go to TJ, so what's your point?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ My kid put it down for an HYPSM. Why not? He took ACT so it did show something a little different.

What if they had a 35/36 on the Act? Wouldn’t commended look worse in comparison?

Do you realize that in DC for the class of 2024, a student could have a 222 and still only be "commended?" The criteria for NMSF is very high in many states/DC. I bet there are many students in these high qualifying cutoff states that got 35/36 on the ACT but were below the cutoff for NMSF.

Compare that with North Dakota, Wyoming and West Virginia, where the student only had to get 207 to be a NMSF.

right, but if you put commended, for all the college knows you barely scraped by. do you put your 222 on the application?

NP. I would.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school just now told us that our child received the Commended award. How much do you think it helps to have it listed in an application?

Little to none...your SAT score is most important. Nice you also did well on the PSAT, but who cares.

Hello TJ's attorney!

Just stating an obvious fact. The PSAT scores are important for various scholarships tied to those scores, but little else. Confusing or surprising to you?

It would be odd, but do you think a college cares that your PSAT score was a 1500 yet your SAT score was a 1400 (this would be quite strange admittedly). Conversely, do you think they care your PSAT score was 1300 if your SAT score is 1580?

You are ignorant or purposefully spreading misinformation. Wonder why is that?

11th grade PSAT scores can get you commended if it meets the national threshold. Out of that each state has its own threshold and each state takes only top x students for Semi-finalists. However, to become a finalist, you also have to submit a SAT qualifying score that shows that your PSAT score was not a fluke. Considering how few students even get to commended scholar level, it is a big academic award to add to your college resume. Usually, PSAT performance predicts SAT performance. Just like a good student will have good GPA, good SAT, good PSAT and good AP scores. It is a pattern of achievement that the colleges like to see. 11th grade PSAT score of 1300 and SAT score of 1580? Not at all typical. But what would you know?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:COMMENDED is meaningless. Stop letting the rage mongers get you worked up over non-issues.

Same for NMSF, just redundant information, with a 1580 SAT

Awards were sparse so DS had to include his NMSF to go with his 1560 SAT. The poor kid is a disappointment.

Coming out of TJ, any PSAT result is totally meaningless. It’s in the noise.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ My kid put it down for an HYPSM. Why not? He took ACT so it did show something a little different.

What if they had a 35/36 on the Act? Wouldn’t commended look worse in comparison?

Do you realize that in DC for the class of 2024, a student could have a 222 and still only be "commended?" The criteria for NMSF is very high in many states/DC. I bet there are many students in these high qualifying cutoff states that got 35/36 on the ACT but were below the cutoff for NMSF.

Compare that with North Dakota, Wyoming and West Virginia, where the student only had to get 207 to be a NMSF.

right, but if you put commended, for all the college knows you barely scraped by. do you put your 222 on the application?

Barely scraped by? Your poor kids.

Well better than a parent who has fainting spells at the slightest discomfort.