A Florida high school senior is celebrating a major academic milestone — earning a perfect score on one of the most challenging standardized tests in the country.
Sergio Attento, a student at MAST Academy at Florida International University (FIU), achieved a flawless 1600 on the SAT, according to NBC 6.
The 17-year-old said he didn’t expect such a result. “I was surprised,” he told NBC 6. “When I walked out of it, I actually thought that I had gotten a couple questions wrong.”
After discovering his score, Attento immediately called his parents to share the news. “He was like, ‘I don’t know if this is real,’ ” his mother, Maria Paula Nuñez Attento, recalled to NBC 6. “We freaked out.”
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Attento had taken the SAT twice before and credited his improvement to practice and persistence. “By the last one, the mistakes that I was making were no longer things [about] me not understanding the material,” he said. “Once you get to that point, that’s when any score is possible.”
Currently enrolled in seven Advanced Placement courses, Attento is also taking college classes at FIU’s north campus. By the time he graduates, he will already have an associate’s degree.
In addition to his own studies, the teen now tutors other students preparing for the SAT. “When you’re in that position, you get a better idea of the people writing the questions, what they’re asking of you, what they want out of you,” he said.
Looking ahead, Attento shared that he hopes to pursue a career in law.
