While high ACT scores are seen every year, perfect scores are rare.
This year one of them comes from Duluth.
Anthony Cotter, who will be a senior this year at Marshall School, found out he got a 36, the highest possible score.
"I was kind of in disbelief. I never expected to get that," he said.
The ACT college entrance exam tests four different areas: English, math, reading and science.
ADVERTISEMENT
Of the millions of students that take the test every year across the U.S., fewer than 1 percent receive a perfect score.
"I've never seen one. This is my seventh year at Marshall so we have never seen one," said Katie Voller-Berdan, director of college counseling at Marshall School. "We've had lots of 35s, several 34s, 33s -- too numerous to count, which is great ... but never a perfect score."
Cotter's high grade-point average gave school officials confidence he would do well even if he didn't prepare -- but that wasn't the case.
"He took his studying very seriously and worked through all the problems and all the sections so that he knew he was well-prepared to do it and he would only have to take it once," Voller-Berdan said.
Cotter credits his success with the teaching he has received at Marshall.
"Marshall tries to give students a broad perspective that they will need to be successful not only in college but also beyond in a much more competitive and interconnected world," said Michael Ehrhardt, Marshall head of school.
While a good score on the ACT can mean more opportunities in college, Cotter is content focusing on the here and now.
"I mean, this is senior year; everybody has fun senior year, so ... I am looking forward to that," he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Cotter said he is looking at several colleges, including the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, the
University of Chicago, Northwestern University and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
