Tokay senior earns perfect score on ACT
Most students would be satisfied with a 34 on the ACT test; however, senior Bryant Neuvert believed he could do better.
Two weeks after he took the test in February, he learned that he earned a perfect score of 36. His motivation was the Russell Nelson Scholarship that Brigham Young University offers. The scholarship for incoming freshmen pays 150 percent tuition for eight semesters.
Neuvert plans to major in mechanical engineering.
“I had to increase my original score of 34 to get the Nelson Scholarship. People with scores of 35 or 36 are the ones to receive it,” Neuvert said. On average, only 1,800 out of 100,000 students in the United States score in the 99th percentile.
Over the course of three days and $400 later, Neuvert learned strategies about how to take the ACT through a BYU sponsored program.
“At the beginning of the weekend, the administrators made us take a practice test. From there, we took four different classes that focused on the different aspects of the test,” Neuvert said.
Each of the four classes centered around a topic: English, math, reading, and science.
“The classes taught us what type of questions the ACT would ask and how we should approach them. It helped me with my time management,” Neuvert said.
Neuvert believed that his weakest area when he took both his first and second test was the math section.
“I would consider math my best subject since I am in calculus, but I haven’t studied the math that was on the ACT in years,” Neuvert said.
For those who are about to take the ACT, Neuvert wishes them luck.
“Practice as much as you can beforehand and trust your gut. Never second guess one of your answers,” Neuvert said.
With the recent college scandal involving celebrities and wealthy families paying individuals to taking their child’s standardized test scores, Neuvert believes it cheats those who get in college on their own merits.
“I think that it’s really unfair for those of us who work really hard, put in the hours, go to class even when we’re sick, and give up our weekends to study and prepare for tests, just to lose those spots to others who didn’t,” Neuvert said.