Natasha Peri, an eleven-year-old, has made it to the High Honours Awards after the John Hopkins Talent Search Test in 2021. She has been declared "one of the brightest" students, as the fifth grader's performance levelled with the 90th percentile of a performance equivalent to the eighth grade.
The Talent Search Test is conducted by John Hopkins, a private research university in Baltimore. Students from all 50 states are encouraged to participate.
The John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth explains the test as a step to identifying a child's "unique talent by matching them to an appropriate challenge". The Center also provides courses that "bright" students can take up during the summer – both online and offline.
The test is designed in a way that applicants take a test meant for a higher grade or scores are compared "against those of older test-takers".
The various tests provided by the Center, include School and College Ability Test (SCAT), Preliminary SAT (PSAT), SAT and ACT (tests taken to check eligibility for college), and a Special Test Battery (STB) focused on the STEM fields.
"Students achieving an advanced CTY level in the tests are awarded with high honours," the Center's website reads.
Natasha Peri, the Indian American from New Jersey is a student at Thelma L Sandmeier Elementary School and has been honoured for her performance in the SAT and ACT tests.
"Peri was among the 19,000 participants from 84 countries who joined the CTY in the year 2020-21. Less than 20 per cent of CTY Talent Search participants qualified for CTY High Honours Awards," reported PTI. "It motivates me to do more," Peri told the news agency.
(With inputs from the PTI)
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