Kolkata La Martiniere boy scores full marks in Scholastic Aptitude Test

Updated on: Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Rachit Parasrampuria of Kolkata's La Martiniere for Boys school scored the highest-ever in Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) - 2400 out of 2400.

Though his admission to an Ivy League college in the US will be easier now, he has to live up to his reputation at the ISC exams in March. At 5.30 pm on Monday, 18-year-old Rachit was still in his school uniform. He had just returned to his Alipore home after a hectic schedule of tuitions after school. He will spend the rest of the evening solving mathematical problems.

Rachit had always been unassuming and shy about his academic achievements. He scored 96% in the ICSE examination. He has always been among the top three boys in his class.

Rachit said, "I was plain lucky. If you make me take the exam (SAT) once again, the score could be a little lower. Scoring full marks is a matter of luck. All those who get beyond 2200 are in the same merit bracket."

School principal Sunirmal Chakraborty was happy. "We are extremely proud of him for this rare score. Rachit has always been a good student and this was perhaps expected. We are following up on the admission of all the boys in the US who have managed good SAT scores," he said.

About 50 boys from the Kolkata school took SAT this year and most scores have been good, teachers said. Most of these boys have applied to US institutions. Some of them will use the SAT scores to go for higher studies in Singapore.

The 2400-marks SAT exam that Rachit wrote had two papers -two papers in English for 1600 marks and an 800-mark mathematics paper. "I was happy writing my maths answers because I love the subject and only elementary level questions were asked. The English questions were tougher. You have to write critical appreciations and essays. It is tough to score here and I was certainly not expecting my results to be this good. When the results were mailed to me, all of us at home pinched each other to see if it was a dream," Rachit said.

Rachit wants to study computer science in the US. He is expecting an offer from the Stanford University by the middle of next month. He has also applied to other universities, including Cornell, Harvard and Princeton. "Since I have applied for aid (scholarship), it makes my case tough. But paying Rs 30 lakh annually is not easy when you are doing a four to five year course," Rachit said.

His father Ashok Parasrampuria owns a tea estate in Assam. "He is an extremely hard working and disciplined boy. I am very happy," he said.

Rachit prepared for SAT on his own with help from his school teachers. He did not go to any coaching centre. "I set my sights on going abroad after school. So, I have not coached for exams like IIT-JEE and AIEEE. I want to study in the US because they have a flexible curriculum. For example, I wish to do a double major in both computer science and mathematics/economics. This is not possible in institutions in India," he said.

Times of India

Kolkata La Martiniere boy scores full marks in Scholastic Aptitude Test

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