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田納西小縣城最好的公立高中ACT 平均36還是稀奇事。

JACKSON, Tenn. – When at home, Robert Yin is lovingly called “stupid” by his two younger sisters.  But he has proven he is anything but.  The 17-year-old scored a perfect 36 on the ACT.  It was the first time the junior at Madison Academic Magnet High School sat for the exam.  He said he didn’t do a lot of preparation, taking just two practice tests at home a week or two before the test on February 10.

 

 “I freaked out a little bit,” Yin remembered of the moment he saw his score online.  “I didn’t expect it.  I felt I did well, like high 20s or low 30s.  But I didn’t expect a 36.”  The extremely modest teen finds it difficult to talk about his success.  He actually is quick to say he has a lot to work on and has no plans of changing his work ethic.  “I won’t be able to take it easy my senior year,” he said.  “I need to work on extracurricular activities and other things that will make me more attractive to schools.”  Yin is considering joining the debate or Academic Decathlon team in the fall.

 

For perspective on Yin’s accomplishment, current staff at Madison cannot remember another student making a perfect 36.  According to ACT, only around one-tenth of one-percent of all test takers earn the top score.  Among US high school graduates in the class of 2017, just 2,760 out of more than two million students who took the ACT earned a composite score of 36.

 

Yin considers himself “a natural learner” and reluctantly admitted he has never made a grade less than an A.  “For me, education is something that as long as you apply yourself there will be some kind of reward,” he said.  “Getting a lower score doesn’t mean your less smart.” 

 

Though Yin said he is considering a field of engineering possibly with a double major in computer science, he also has an artistic side.  He plays the trombone in the Madison Band and enjoys creative writing.  “I’m a big fan of short stories,” Yin said.  “I enjoy a nice, funny, lighthearted story that kind of catches you off guard.”

 

A Jackson native, Yin has attended Pope Elementary, Tigrett Middle and the Academic Academy at Northeast Middle School.  When asked if there was one teacher who stands out, the teen said, “They all do.  Really every one of my teachers has had an impact.”

 

Yin is still narrowing down his college list but is considering Ivy League schools, west coast colleges as well as Vanderbilt University.  He said his decision will be based primarily on the scholarship offers he receives.  He plans to study for the SAT over the summer and take the exam in the fall.  However, he said, “I definitely won’t take the ACT again!”

 

The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam that measures what students have learned in school.  It consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science, each scored on a scale of 1-36.  A student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores.  The score for the ACT’s optional writing test is reported separately and is not included within the ACT composite score.