THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 15, 1996 TAG: 9602150366
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VANEE VINES, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
Ask Wayne Chen's mother, Jacquiline, what's behind her son's stellar academic record and she'll point to several influences:
The family's belief in the value of a good education; her habit of routinely taking Wayne and his brother to the library when they were kids; enriching activities in the early years - violin lessons, for example.
Ask him and the response will sound like something out of a Generation X handbook:
``To tell you the truth,'' he said, ``I don't really try that hard.''
But Chen, a 17-year-old senior at Western Branch High, is a member of an elite class among the nation's high school students. Last fall, he scored a rare 1,600 on the Scholastic Assessment Test.
He and several other students who have done well in areas ranging from academic excellence to mastery of certain vocational skills were recognized at this week's School Board meeting.
Last school year, only 32 students nationwide earned a perfect 1,600 on the two-part college entrance exam.
The combined, mean score in the Chesapeake district is currently 837.
``I don't really concentrate on it (schoolwork) that much,'' said Chen, who relaxes by playing the guitar and also serves as president of the school's German Club and co-captain of its academic team.
``I always did all of my homework and paid attention and that was about it.''
The score did take him by surprise, however.
``The day I found out, I was really surprised; I didn't know if it was really right. . . . Later, it kind of wore off and didn't seem like a big deal.''
He decided to take the test for a fourth time last October, hoping to do just a little better. (He recalled scoring in the 1,300 ballpark the first time around.)
Chen, whose grade-point average hovers slightly above a perfect 4.0 because he's done well in advanced courses, is not sure which college he'll attend to study chemical engineering.
He has applied to eight. Among them: Brown University, Rice University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Although he managed a perfect score, his answers were, well, less than perfect.
He missed four questions - one in the math section and three in the verbal.
But four errors can't prevent a top score on the SAT.
That's because the College Board, which sponsors the test, recalibrated or ``recentered'' scores last year to correct a computation distortion.
The change made it possible on some forms of the test for a student to miss as many as four questions - or 3 percent - and still get a 1,600.
Chen, who describes himself as ``laid back,'' never said he was a know-it-all.
And, he pointed out, his high school transcript doesn't have all A's. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
VICKI CRONIS/The Virginian-Pilot
Wayne Chen, who tallied a perfect score of 1600 on the Scholastic
Assessment Test, credits his academic success to a laid-back
attitude. ``To tell you the truth,'' he said ``I don't really try
that hard.''
Graphic
TAKING THE TEST?
The next time Virginia students can take the SAT is Saturday,
March 23.
KEYWORDS: STANDARDIZED TESTING SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST by CNB