Nine-year-old Indian-American listed in world's brightest students list

NEW DELHI: A nine-year-old Indian-American schoolgirl, Preesha Chakraborty, hailing from Fremont, California, has earned a spot on the "world's brightest" students list curated by the Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth (JH-CTY).

The results were based on her performance in above-grade-level tests administered to over 16,000 students across 90 countries, a press release stated.

Honoured for her exceptional performance on the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), ACT (American College Testing), School and College Ability Test, Preesha took the US-based JH-CTY test in Summer 2023 as a Grade 3 student.

Excelling in both- verbal and quantitative sections of the test, Preesha reached the 99th percentile comparable to advanced Grade 5 performances. The accomplishment secured her the Grand Honors designation, a recognition bestowed upon less than 30 percent of students annually based on their test scores.

According to her parents, Preesha has always been interested in learning and has regularly demonstrated remarkable academic talents.

Highlighting the importance of the competition, Amy Shelton, Executive Director of the CTY, said, "This is not just recognition of students' performance on one test, but a testament to their curiosity and capacity for learning."

As a Grand Honors recipient, Preesha now qualifies for participation in over 250 advanced programs offered by Johns Hopkins CTY, covering subjects such as mathematics, computer programming, chemistry, physics, reading, and writing.

Preesha is a lifetime member of the Mensa Foundation, the world's oldest high-IQ society, which accepts those who score in the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other authorized intelligence test.

Established in 1979, CTY is a center for innovation dedicated to expanding the field of gifted education through research on testing, programs, and other support for advanced learners.