The millions of American teenagers take the SAT yearly, but few achieve a perfect score of 2,400. Karyina Ghiara is one of the few.

Now a senior and a Royal Lancer with a GPA of 4.4, Ghiara received a perfect score on her first try junior year. A student with such high achievements may be expected to have dedicated themselves to preparing for a test so important, but Ghiara got by with minimal preparation.

“I actually did not do that much studying for the SAT– I did not take classes or anything like that, anyway,” Ghiara said. “I did, however, buy the official SAT practice book and took some practice tests out of there. I know they say that school does not really prepare you for the test, but I found it actually did. Taking core AP classes such as English and math made me feel comfortable to take the SAT. Every AP class you take helps you to become a better reader and analyst which is beneficial.”

Colleges do not only look at test scores, however, making extracurricular activities primitive to an application. This is another area Ghiara has covered.

“My main activities are theater and show choir,” Ghiara said. “I have been a part of the drama department for four years now, and I am co-president of the drama club. On top of that I am a part of the Sound Express competition show choir.”

As a student with such high academic achievements, her college outlook looks promising.

“I’ve decided to attend Columbia University which is really exciting,” Ghiara said. “I think that getting a perfect SAT score really helped my prospects in college, but at the same time the score is not everything. When applying to a prestigious school every part of your application counts– you definitely need to have your extra curricular activities and your advanced classes.”

With Ghiara’s very apparent success on the SAT, she shares what bolstered her toward that success.

“My piece of advice for anyone taking the SAT is overall to stay calm,” Ghaira said. “When I went in to take the SAT I was not really worried about it because I knew that I could always take it again and it worked out well. It is very long and tiring but just keep working through it and do your best.”