After months of preparation, Rouse Junior Shaurya Sharma expected his SAT score to land in the 1550s, a score that would place him in the 99th percentile of students who take the test. Still, it was a pleasant surprise to open his test results and discover a perfect score of 1600 waiting for him.

“I’m excited for Shaurya’s accomplishment. He’ll use this to catapult him in his academic journey and whatever else he decides to do,” Rouse Principal Vincent Hawkins said. “It’s a gateway to opportunities for him, and he can provide guidance and insight to others. That makes him a leader.”

Out of the approximately 1.7 million students who take the SAT each school year, only about 1,000 earn a perfect score.

Sharma prepared for the test by using Khan Academy and a Reddit page with SAT tests from years prior. He took practice tests about twice a month. On the day of the test, he divided the total time of the test by the number of sections, allotting himself a specific amount of time to complete each section to ensure that he would finish with time to spare for checking his answers.

Sharma enjoys studying for most subjects, especially when he can connect them to something he’s interested in.

“If I find the topic interesting, I want to learn more. But especially if I can connect it to other topics that I find interesting,” Sharma said. “Like, I’m a big Star Wars fan, so if I’m learning something about aerospace and I connect that to starships, I’ll be more interested in learning about aerospace.”

In addition to studying and taking practice tests regularly, Sharma suggested that students preparing to take the SAT envision themselves performing well on the test.

“If they’re able to envision themselves [getting a good score], and if they can daydream about it, they might work harder to push themselves,” Sharma said.

As a junior, Sharma hasn’t yet applied to colleges or solidified any plans post-graduation – but he has some ideas in mind. He said that he’s considering applying to the University of Texas at Austin, but also might shoot for an Ivy League.

“I’d probably say computer science is my main choice [of a degree], but I also have an inkling towards aerospace engineering, and engineering in general,” he said.

Hawkins gave Sharma some words of advice as he ventures forward in his educational career and life.

“People will look at you as a tangible, actual human example of someone who has achieved something great, you know?” Hawkins said to Sharma. “I hope that you use that and I know you will – as a gateway to the things that you want to do, but also to help others.”

Before starting high school at Rouse, Sharma attended Naumann Elementary, Reed Elementary and Stiles Middle School. At Rouse, he plays soccer and participates in DECA, and has participated in robotics as well.