Wheaton North High School juniors who want a shot at National Merit recognition have a narrow window to sign up: registration for the Oct. 27 PSAT/NMSQT opens Monday, Aug. 17 and closes Tuesday, Sept. 1. The school says no late registrations will be accepted.
The exam costs $30. It starts at 7:20 a.m. and students register through Total Registration, an online platform. The test is optional and separate from the free Pre-ACT also offered at the school.
"This test is optional but available for any junior student," Assistant Principal Joe Drover wrote in a July 8 announcement on the school's website. "Juniors who score in the top 1% nationally may earn scholarships to various colleges."
Students who believe they qualify for a fee waiver should visit counselor Longenbaugh in the Counseling Office by Sept. 8 to verify eligibility. Drover is the school's point of contact for broader questions about the exam and can be reached at [email protected].
What's at stake
The PSAT/NMSQT is the sole qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program, which awards more than $33 million in scholarships each year. According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation's program guide, about 16,000 students nationally, fewer than 1% of the more than 1.3 million who enter, advance to Semifinalist status. An additional 34,000 or so earn Commended Student recognition.
The school's own announcement describes the qualifying threshold as the "top 4% nationally," a figure that encompasses both Semifinalists and Commended Students combined.
Illinois's Semifinalist cutoff score was 222 out of 228 for the Class of 2026 competition. The state produced 748 Semifinalists from 138 high schools that year. Compass Education Group, a test-prep research firm, projects the Class of 2027 cutoff will likely drop to around 220, with an estimated range of 218–222.
District track record
Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South together produced nine National Merit Finalists in March 2023, six from Wheaton North. The district announced another round of Semifinalists in September 2025, though individual names from that cycle were not confirmed in available records.
Key dates for families
- Aug. 17: Registration opens
- Sept. 1: Registration closes (no exceptions)
- Sept. 8: Fee waiver verification deadline
- Oct. 27: PSAT/NMSQT exam day, 7:20 a.m., Wheaton North High School, 701 W. Thomas Rd.
