What are the requirements to be qualified to get the National Merit Scholarship?

Question

For example, besides looking at the PSAT score, grades, GPA, what else do they look for? I plan on taking it soon...

Do they look for extracurricular activities too?

Answer 1

To become a Semifinalist, the only consideration is your PSAT score and whether or not it meets your state's cutoff score for that year. Then, to become a Finalist, you have to fill out an application that asks you for grades, scores, recs, extracurriculars, etc. If you're extracurriculars aren't stellar, it probably won't prevent you from becoming a Finalist, but it could hurt you when you're being considered for a National Merit-sponsored scholarship.