McNeil High School junior Vinh Ton earned a perfect SAT score of 1600. Vinh’s SAT success follows his achievement of perfect scores on his PSAT and ACT, which he took during his sophomore year at McNeil.
“After I had left the SAT I wasn’t so confident I was going to get a perfect score,” Vinh said. “The test was much more difficult than the practice tests made me think it would be.”
Vinh started to prepare for the test over winter break and then each weekend leading up to the test he completed practice tests, paying particular attention to how much time he spent for each question.
During his preparation for the SAT, grammar and reading were the areas that Vinh felt the least confident. He credits McNeil English teachers Erin Balfour, Grace Edsel and Deborah Palmer for helping him get prepared.
“My teachers prepared me well for the exams,” Vinh said. “I think they are all amazing and have a lot of dedication to their students. Their dedication helped me understand what to expect from the tests, get me motivated to study and appreciate what they are trying to teach me.”
Vinh also competes in academic UIL and is considering a career in health science. He hopes his perfect PSAT score qualifies him to receive a National Merit Scholarship next year and is thinking about attending college locally, but would explore Harvard University or Stanford University, if those opportunities become available.
“Vinh makes me a better teacher. He’s anxious to continue expanding his knowledge base,” Palmer said. “It’s all Vinh, he’s amazing, brilliant and works hard.”
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