PSAT national merit is a competition student engage in by taking the PSAT in their junior year. Their score on the PSAT is the first obstacle to entering the competition. Each state has their own score requirement that students must achieve to surpass to the next level in the competition. For example in recent years in the state of Michigan students who achieved a 219 or above out of 228 on the PSAT were declared quarterfinalists for the national merit competition. Their performance in school, on the SAT, recommendations from their teacher, and an essay they had to write judged whether they would ultimately be finalists. You can find more information about the advantages of the PSAT and requirements on the following website: http://www.nationalmerit.org/.