Mumbai, June 01: At 13, most boys would be worrying about their first pimple, the inexplicable crush on the prettiest girl in the neighbourhood or the latest bike.
But not Vinay Raman Ramesh. The lad’s single-minded focus was acing the scholastic assessment test (SAT), that is usually taken for admission to colleges in the United States. Which probably explains his perfect score of 800/800 the SAT.
This Std VII student of the American School of Bombay at Bandra-Kurla Complex, scored much higher that the qualifying scores for admissions, which is a minuscule 450 in comparison.
It all started as a summer activity with an online programme that he attempted for the Johns Hopkins University in US.
“His teachers in school suggested that he take up the online courses that the university offered. He is a brilliant student and is allowed to attend the math classes of Std IX and X. He has been appearing for these online courses since Std V,” said his mother Lata Ramesh.
Though getting the perfect score is not a difficult task, it is very rare for a 12-year-old (he was 12 when he appeared for the exam).
Vinay’s mother admits that a few years ago, a 12-year-old had qualified with a score of 800, but not in India. “Since the past couple of years he has been appearing for these online courses during every vacation.
But, this year, when he wanted to appear for a course of a slightly higher level, he was asked to get his SAT scores. We learnt of it only at the end of March this year.
But, he prepared for it and managed to get the best score. We were not expecting him to score any great percentages, so this came as a pleasant surprise,” Vinay’s mother added.
Of course, Vinay is mighty pleased with the results, but he also knows that he will have to match the score when he takes the exam again in three years to actually qualify for a university in the US.
Vinay who has lived in the US, Canada and India has had the advantage of gaining the best from different education systems.
He is appearing for these additional courses to be motivated and stimulated throughout his vacations as well, his parents say.
“In future, when he actually wants to join a university in the US, these scores will help him. He is much ahead of students in his age group.
He had a personal tutor at home, who helped him clear the online courses,” added Vinay’s mother. Vinay is currently preparing for his final exams.
—-Agencies