Semifinalist cutoffs aren't set nationally -- each state draws its own line, and Arkansas's confirmed Class of 2027 line matches one direct neighbor exactly while trailing two others by an identical margin. Here's exactly where 210 sits.
The number: 210, tied with Oklahoma
Per Compass Education Group's confirmed reporting, Arkansas's Class of 2027 Semifinalist cutoff is 210, down 5 points from the Class of 2026 -- one of the larger single-year declines nationally. The full state-by-state list shows Arkansas tied at that exact number with Oklahoma and Alabama, and four points below both Tennessee and Missouri, which tie each other at 214.
An exact match on one side, an identical gap on two others
Arkansas's own line ties one neighbor exactly, while two others share the exact same distance above it:
- 219: Texas -- 9 points above, to the southwest
- 214: Tennessee, Missouri -- 4 points above, to the east and north
- 211: Mississippi -- 1 point above, to the east
- 210 (Arkansas's line): Arkansas, Oklahoma -- an exact match, to the west
The part that surprises people: two non-adjacent states landing on the identical four-point gap
Tennessee and Missouri don't border each other, yet both confirm exactly 214 -- and both sit exactly four points above Arkansas, which borders each of them separately. Semifinalist slots are allocated to each state in proportion to its share of the nation's graduating seniors, a separate calculation from the cutoff score. The cutoff itself depends entirely on where the top slice of Selection Index scores lands among each state's own PSAT/NMSQT takers that year -- the matching four-point gap to two different, non-adjacent states is a coincidence of three independent score distributions, not evidence of a regional pattern radiating out from Arkansas.
What this means for you
- Check your Selection Index against 210, not Tennessee's or Missouri's number. Use the calculator to convert your actual PSAT Reading & Writing and Math scores directly, rather than assuming a score that clears a neighboring state's bar clears Arkansas's too.
- This is the confirmed, official cutoff, not a projection. NMSC announced Class of 2027 Semifinalists nationally on September 9, 2026, and Compass Education Group's number reflects real qualifying and non-qualifying score reports.
- Don't assume the Mid-South shares one cutoff. Arkansas's own borders span from 210 (its own line, tied with Oklahoma) up to Texas's 219 -- a nine-point range.
- If you're weighing a move within the Mid-South before junior year, check both states' specific lines. Eligibility is based on where you're enrolled at the time of the qualifying PSAT, not where you grew up.
- This is one piece of the larger National Merit picture -- see the full breakdown of how National Merit actually works for how the cutoff fits into the whole Commended-to-Scholar process.