The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) recently chose more than 16,000 students, including 38 members of the Class of 2026, as National Merit Semifinalists out of a pool of 50,000 students in the top 3% of test takers. This year, students in California were required to obtain a score index of 224 or higher on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) and National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) to be named a semifinalist. This was a 3-point jump from the previous year’s qualifying score index of 221.
Over 1.3 million students took the PSAT in October 2024 to enter the competition for the National Merit Program’s recognition. Seniors selected as semifinalists are eligible to apply to become one of 15,000 finalists and compete for the National Merit Scholarship. Of the finalists, approximately 8,000 are selected to receive the scholarship. The winners are able to receive a scholarship to help fund their undergraduate education at an accredited higher education institution in the U.S.
Mark Dai ’26 said he was excited to share this honor with his twin brother and some of his close friends.
“It was an amazing moment, especially since I got to share it with my twin, [Mike Dai ’26] , which made it extra special,” Dai said. “I had a feeling I might be named as a Semifinalist when scores were released, and when I opened them alongside a friend, we both found out together that we had qualified. It was great to see a good number of my friends being named Semifinalists as well. [It] is a recognition I really appreciate, and it also opens doors to many scholarships.”
Liv Lee ’26 said she was able to easily study for the test, given her experience with rigorous courses at the school.
“I think being an actively engaged student in my core classes helped me prepare for the exam,” Lee said. “The Harvard-Westlake curriculum and faculty have so much to offer both in rigor and depth. As such, there weren’t a lot of hardships as my preparation process for the standardized test was more natural.”
Lyra Majumdar ’26 said that although she was excited about being named as a semifinalist, recognizing achievements other than test scores is important to uplifting academic communities.
“Frankly, it feels slightly arbitrary that local newspapers consistently publish a list of National Merit Semifinalists, a distinction predicated on a single standardized test , while other valuable contributions, like significant intellectual or artistic accomplishments by community members, can often fly under the radar,” Majumdar said. “Nevertheless, recognition for an accomplishment is never unwelcome, and I’m excited to see how the rest of the process unfolds.”
