Sahli Negassi, a 17-year-old African American student from West Orange, New Jersey, earned a perfect 1600 on the SAT, achieved a perfect 1600 on the SAT, a feat accomplished by less than 1% of test-takers nationwide. Negassi managed this achievement all while balancing two sports, serving as president of two clubs, and taking multiple advanced placement classes.
“Sahli represents the best of West Orange High School,” West Orange High School Principal Oscar Guerrero shared in a news release. “His achievement on the SAT is incredible, but what’s just as impressive is how he manages to excel across so many different activities.”
West Orange Public Schools shared that Negassi hopes to attend Harvard and pursue a career in law.
“Harvard is the best school on my list to support me in that process,” Negassi said. “Give me 10 years, and I’ll be out in the world doing something more important than a standardized test!”
Born in Manhattan, New York, and raised in West Orange, Sahli’s academic journey started at Mount Pleasant and St. Cloud elementary schools. He never attended preschool but credits his older siblings’ textbooks for building his early knowledge.
Seeing his perfect score was a surreal moment for him. “I walked out of [my] first period [class] and immediately called my mom,” he told WOBOE. “I showed it to a classmate, but then I got nervous and joked that it was Photoshopped. Even now, it still doesn’t feel real. But more than anything, I was relieved — I had finally proven to myself that it was possible.”
According to Sahli, he used free resources like YouTube and Khan Academy to prepare for the SAT primarily on his own. Another important factor was his demanding AP coursework, especially in Calculus, Language, and U.S. History. It was challenging to juggle track events, AP tests, and SAT preparation, but he found time whenever he could.
“Really, the hardest part of studying was finding time. I had to make it whenever I could — at meals, during slow class periods, on bus rides. Taking it one question at a time was good enough,” he said.
Sahli participates actively in track and cross-country competitions outside of school. In addition, he is the president of the school’s National Honor Society chapter and the math team, among other groups. He also plays in the Royal Strings ensemble and is a member of the varsity chess team.
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