Christopher O’Brian, ‘13, recently scored a perfect 800 on the math portion of the SAT test. Chris is one of only 0.7% of high school students to achieve this score.
In the competitive landscape facing high school students as they prepare for colleges, many are wondering how Chris was able to accomplish achieving the highest math score and what the secret to his preparation was. Chris humbly states he was pleased to find out his results.
“I just went in and did my best,” he explains. It’s interesting to note that Chris never attended any SAT prep or extra-curricular math enrichment classes. Instead, he attributes his success to the Montessori education he experienced during his toddler to 8th grade years, followed by high school at a small, independent boarding and day school.
“I really think that my unique education at a Montessori school through 8th grade made all the difference,” he says. “Math lessons were awesome as I didn’t just memorize facts, but there were these really cool materials that we used that helped me understand abstract concepts. Then, math just became fun. I didn’t realize it then, but the way math was taught at Montessori was helping me understand the concepts of future math lessons at a much deeper level.”
Chris notes that he is not an avid test-taker. “Tests were not a big part of my years at Princeton Montessori School. In fact, my first standardized test wasn’t until 8th grade.”
It’s considered counterintuitive that a lack of test-taking actually fosters stronger test scores. Instead of focusing on standardized tests, Montessori students are consistently assessed by their teachers and encouraged to perform at their academic best, whatever that may be for each individual. The focus is on each child mastering the concepts taught in each subject, regardless of where that places them on a national scale. This allows for a depth of learning that goes beyond the ratings, percentiles, and grades and allows for each child to reach their fullest potential.
Christopher O’Brian of Belle Mead, 2013 graduate of Princeton Montessori School, is currently in his senior year at Solebury School.