Three K-Park seniors — Gabriel Zolton, Hannah Hoffman and Greg Mika — made it to the semifinals of the qualifications in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Semifinals is the first of the three rounds in the process of receiving the Merit Scholarship award.

The three, who are among approximately 16,000 students to make it to the semifinals, are now waiting to see if they will pass to the next round. About  15,000 proceed to the finals. From there, about half of the students qualify for scholarships based off their knowledge and skill.

Unlike the SAT, which tests a student’s college readiness, the PSAT/NMSQT is purely a way for students to be recognized by colleges and to get a chance to become a National Merit Scholar and win $2,500 in scholarship money or a full-ride scholarship to a university.