Every year, roughly 3.5 million high school juniors across the United States take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), an important indication of college readiness and academic scholarship.

This year, eight Woodbridge High students—Minho Beak, Katherine Hua, Andrei Ignatov, Natalie Miller, Ava Nishizaka, Abigail Shih, Catherine Tsaowimonsiri and Senna Yamamoto—were declared National Merit semifinalists. These students scored in the top 1% of test takers in the nation, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

In order to earn the National Merit semifinalist distinction, students in the state of California needed to meet the state’s necessary score threshold of 221 or higher defined by the Selection Index (SI), which amounted to about 16,000 students nationally. The SI measures aptitude in the core subjects of reading, writing and mathematics. Students who scored in the top 3-4% and scored a SI between 207 and 220 were declared Commended Scholars.

Ignatov and Hua both attested to the amount of test preparation they had committed to over the course of many months and how important the award meant to them.

“Being declared a National Merit semifinalist was a huge honor because it carries that national prestige,” Hua said. “I would also say it is important to me because I studied a lot for standardized tests. For example, I spent two summers and probably longer studying for it. It was a nice way to see my efforts finally paying off.”

While the National Merit distinction continues to hold an important value for students and is still seen as a reputable indication of high academic standing, the climate surrounding standardized testing remains in flux in the post-Covid-19 world of college admissions.

In the past few years, testing policies have demonstrably changed and there continues to be a decreasing emphasis on standardized testing. In 2019, 55% of public and private universities required applicants to take either the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Test (ACT), while in 2023, only 5.5% of colleges are requiring applicants to take either examination, according to the Common Application.

Woodbridge High lead counselor Jennifer Carrington notes that while the usage of standardized testing in college admissions has shifted over the years, it is not going away anytime soon.

“[Standardized testing] can still be a differentiating factor, certainly to demonstrate a certain aspect of students’ abilities,” Carrington said. “It also gives students an opportunity to assess how their score ranks in the applicant pool and this can help frame some of those college-going decisions.”

For students preparing to take the 2023 PSAT exam in October this year, Ignatov suggests planning ahead and investing time into diligent and structured practice.

“For me, I just worked on a lot of practice tests,” Ignatov said. “I really recommend the SAT courses on Khan Academy. They break down things by category and by skill. It was really helpful and I saw a lot of improvement with that.”

The next step in the NMSC competition is the finalist designation and, in which students are required to meet additional eligibility criteria.

According to the NMSC, “a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.”

About 95% of the NMSC semifinalists are expected to attain the Finalist standing and approximately 50% of NMSC finalists are expected to be declared National Merit Scholars and winners of the $2,500 cash prize.

To view a full list of Orange County’s PSAT National Merit Semifinalists, please click here.