NEED TO KNOW
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A Florida teen earned a perfect score on the SAT in September
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Sergio Attento achieved a total of 1600, the highest possible mark
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“When I walked out of it, I actually thought that I had gotten a couple questions wrong,” the 17-year-old said
A Florida teen has a bright future ahead of him — with an exciting achievement already under his belt.
Sergio Attento recently earned a perfect score on the SAT, achieving a total of 1600, the highest possible mark, NBC 6 reported.
Attento, a senior at MAST Academy at Florida International University (FIP) — a public magnet school — didn’t initially think he had scored that high.
“I was surprised,” the 17-year-old told NBC 6. “When I walked out of it, I actually thought that I had gotten a couple questions wrong.”
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A test (stock image).
After Attento learned of his perfect SAT score, the first people he contacted were his mother and father.
“Immediately, he called us, and was like, ‘I don’t know if this is real,’ ” Maria Paula Nuñez Attento told NBC 6 of Attento, her eldest son, adding: “We freaked out.”
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The teenager took the SAT for the third time in September. His past attempts at the test, as well as several practice exams, are what he credits with getting him to now earn the perfect score.
“By the last one, the mistakes that I was making were no longer things,” he said, per NBC 6. “Me not understanding the material, but now it was things that, if you double-check that, you could get it right. So once you get to that point, that’s when any score is possible.”
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A student taking a test (stock image).
Attento is currently taking seven Advanced Placement (AP) courses at his school. He has also attended college courses at FIU’s north campus.
When he graduates from the Master of Science in Athletic Training institution, Attento will already have an associate’s degree.
The 17-year-old is currently sharing his knowledge and tutoring other students for the SATs. “You are now on the other end, asking it to somebody else,” he told NBC 6. “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.”
As for what the future holds, Attento told the local Florida outlet he is interested in pursuing a law career.
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