The good performance of CNEO-TST relative to CTST has two causes. (1) It is known from previous work that the maximum of ∆V G a is often located close to the maximum of the generalized free energy of activation, even at finite temperatures and even when the maximum is not at s = 0. CNEO inherently incorporates zero-point energies in its effective PES; consequently, its effective PES along the reaction path aligns more closely with the