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Round Rock student gets perfect ACT score
Joy Wright, a senior at Cedar Ridge High School in Round Rock ISD, earned the highest possible ACT composite score of 36. Jessica Rivera has the story.
ROUND ROCK, Texas - Joy Wright, a student in Round Rock ISD, earned the highest possible ACT composite score of 36.
Only about one-quarter of 1% of students who take the ACT earn a top score.
Senior year is a busy time for many students ss some of them are getting ready to take their SATs and ACTs.
Cedar Ridge High School senior Wright says she's been hitting the books to prepare her for the exam.
"My main method of preparation is mostly just, well, I read a lot of books, so I have a very good vocabulary and a very. Good sense for appropriate syntax, appropriate grammar, so on and so forth when reading and writing," says Wright.
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On top of preparing for the ACT, Wright is involved in several extracurricular activities in her school.
"I'm the head of the science national honor society at the school. I'm also an officer on the national honor society at the school. I'm also involved in the health science club, the health science association, and I made a community awareness campaign for them as well. And beyond that, I'm just involved in the science and math team as well," says Wright.
Even with a busy schedule, Wright was able to get a perfect score on her exam.
ACT CEO Janet Godwin congratulated Wright saying, "earning a top score on the ACT is a remarkable achievement," getting a perfect score of 36 will provide any college or university proof of their readiness for the academic rigors that lie ahead.
"I took about maybe 3 or 4 practice exams, some on paper, some online, and I did about the same on them as I did on the normal test," says Wright.
Over the summer, the college board made changes to the structure of the exam.
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Godwin says the exam will be shortened by a third. The test will include shorter passages in the reading and English sections along with fewer questions in each section, allowing students more time to answer thoughtfully.
Godwin says these changes will begin with national online tests in the spring of 2025 and be rolled out for school-day testing a year later.
As students prepare to take the ACT and SAT, Wright shares some advice.
"If you're not so good at math, I would advise that you review the math. But if you're trying to work on English, I would advise that you read texts from maybe the 1950s or before so you can get used to more formal or a more formal vocabulary, more formal syntax, because that can help you a lot on the tests," Wright says.
With test dates around the corner, here's a link to some resources to prepare for the exam.