13-year-old aces SAT math test

Trevin Hiebert’s math skills surpassed those of his parents sometime when he was in elementary school.

Now, not only is the 13-year-old better at solving mathematical equations than his family and most of his peers, the Horizon Middle School eighth-grader is better than 99 percent of college-bound seniors in the nation.

According to the College Board, Hiebert received a perfect score on the math portion of the SAT reasoning test this year.

“There was one question that was bugging me, but it turns out I got it right,” Hiebert said.

Hiebert is one of five students his age nationwide who earned a perfect 800 on the SAT math portion. His combined score on the test – including critical reading and writing – was 1,900 out of 2,400 possible points.

“It’s unheard of,” said Sharon Sell, who works with teachers in the Central Valley School District to help develop curriculum for advanced students. “Nobody’s taught him any of this stuff yet.”

Hiebert doesn’t take math classes at the middle school. Instead he attends nearby University High School, where this year he finished sophomore-level math courses. And still, much of what’s required on the college entrance exam hasn’t been taught yet in those classes.

Hiebert was one of more than 60 Central Valley students who qualified to take the SAT through the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, Sell said. The center helps gifted students excel.

Students who have scored above the 97th percentile on standardized tests, such as the WASL, qualify to take the SAT test for the center’s talent search.

Hiebert, who also qualified to take the SAT as a seventh-grader, was identified as a gifted child at an early age, his mother said. He got a 700 on the math test last year.

“He read early. He advanced all the way around early,” said Dawn Hiebert, who teaches fourth grade at CV’s Opportunity Elementary.

But it was clear that math was his strong suit. He has competed in the Math is Cool state competitions since fourth grade, and he never received anything less than a 4.0 in his math classes.

After his high score on the math portion of the test last year, he made it his goal to get an 800 this year.

He still has to take the test as a high school junior or senior and says he hopes to maintain the perfect score.

However, according to the College Board, 85 percent of students who receive an 800 on the math test receive a lower score on the second testing.

“Not me,” Hiebert said. “It has always come easy to me; I like to be challenged.”