Cathedral Prep senior Shaun Evans scored a perfect 2400 out of 2400 on the SATs last month. This is a big deal because scoring a 2400 is a very tough thing to accomplish. Thousands of kids take the SATs every year to determine their future and what college they will get into. Every now and then a perfect score will pop up, supposedly breaking the SATs. Some say it’s a result of luck, but others know it is the result of hours upon hours of studying and diligently reading to grow your vocabulary.
By no means was it luck when it came to Shaun Evans’ perfect score. He is a very smart and hardworking student in the classroom. He has been taking classes here at Prep ever since eighth grade and AP classes ever since freshman year. As a result of his great success in the classroom he has been taking three classes a semester over at Gannon University starting his junior year. Mr. Evans doesn’t know for sure what college he wants to attend yet, but the list is full of elite universities. To possibly help those students who will be taking the SATs. in their near future I asked Shaun how he prepared himself for the SATs.
“I took the PSAT twice, once in my sophomore year and again in my junior year,” said Evans. “I also looked through the review section of the official SAT Practice Book and took some practice tests from there before the first time I took the SAT. I didn’t really do anything between then and the second time I took the SAT.”
For those taking the SAT in the future, Evans offered the following advice. “Studying and practicing are helpful, but not so much that you become overly stressed; at that point, it’s not worth it. Standard advice like getting a good night’s sleep before the test, bringing a small snack with you, brining a good calculator you’re familiar with (with fresh batteries), and bringing a watch (that doesn’t beep) to help with pacing, is all good advice. While taking the test, confidence honestly is very important, especially on the math section. Be confident that you are able to figure things out. If you run across something that you can’t do, don’t sweat it; just move on.”