The PM6 method in GAMESS was extended to elements requiring d-integrals and interfaced with the polarized continuum model (PCM) of solvation, including semi-numerical gradients. However, the accuracy of aqueous solvation energies computed using AM1, PM3, PM6, and DFTB and the SMD continuum solvation model was tested using a subset of molecules from the MNSOL data set which showed that the errors in SMD solvation energies predicted using NDDO-based methods was considerably larger than when using DFT and HF, with RMSE values of 5.0 to 8.6 kcal/mol compared to 3.4 kcal/mol for HF/6-31G(d). For the NDDO-based methods the errors were especially large for cations and, in the case of PM6, also for anions, with RMSE values of 10.1 to 14.8 kcal/mol in comparison with to 5.0 to 5.7 kcal/mol for HF/6-31G(d)/SMD. Corresponding COSMO results (where the maximum RMSE is 7.5 kcal/mol) suggested that the NDDO/SMD results could be improved by re-parameterizing the SMD Coulomb radii for the NDDO methods.