Conant High School student earns perfect score on ACT exam

A Conant High School student is joining a growing list of District 211 students who have achieved a 36 on the American College Test exam, the highest possible composite score.

James B. Conant High School student Mohansrinivas Chennakesavalu achieved a 36 on the ACT examination, and the Board of Education recognized him for this outstanding achievement at its Feb. 13 board meeting.

"I stayed up until midnight during winter break to check my score, and once I found out I was jumping around the entire house," Chennakesavalu said. "I was aiming for a 36 but didn't know if I would get it."

The ACT, which is taken by nearly 60 percent of America's college-bound students as well as all junior students in Illinois as part of the Prairie State Achievement Examination, is comprised of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science reasoning. Each test is scored on a scale of 1-36, and a student's score is the average of the four test scores. On average, less than one-tenth of one percent of all ACT test takers earns a top score.

Out of more than 1.8 million students who took the ACT in the class of 2013, just 1,162 students got a score of 36.

Since 1998, 61 District 211 students have earned a top score of 36 on the ACT, including five students who have done it twice.

"The best way to prepare is by taking practice tests because it gives you a feel of what the actual test is like," Chennakesavalu said. "Just be confident. I worried during break until I got my score, but if I was just confident it would have saved a lot of stress and energy."

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