Two seniors and three juniors at Revere High School (RHS) obtained perfect scores of 36 on the ACT this past year.

Seniors Sydney Borcherding and Gavin Lewis and juniors Tiger Du, Jack Krew and Victoria Liu all earned perfect scores on this college readiness assessment. Obtaining a perfect score on the ACT is extremely rare; only .108% of test takers achieve a perfect score. Borcherding spoke about what she thought helped her to get the perfect score.

“I had a prep book with practice tests that I used, and it had explanations for every question that were really helpful. Taking the practice tests then going back through and figuring out why I got things wrong really helped me improve. My math score went up by about four points or so after doing that,” Borcherding said.

Borcherding also explained what she did before and during the test.

“I try not to stress out too much beforehand, because I do much better on tests when I do not overthink things. . . . [During the test] I kept an eye on the clock to make sure I was okay on time,” Borcherding said.

Liu explained how taking practice tests improved her score.

“Taking all the practice tests definitely helped my score. I would score myself after each test, and if I got a question wrong, I would make sure I knew why I got it wrong and how I could catch myself so I would not make the same mistake again,” Liu said.

Lewis commented on his experience taking the ACT.

“I studied a little. . . . I [used] a fidget spinner [during the test to help me focus],” Lewis said.

Krew explained what helped him achieve a perfect score.

“Not feeling stressed about the test made it easier. Staying relaxed helped me concentrate. Also, getting good sleep the night before was important,” Krew said.

Du mentioned how he prepared for the test.

“[I studied] for two-thirds of the summer, and I would take the practice tests right after breakfast to simulate conditions,” Du said.

RHS Principal Phil King gave his opinion on the students’ perfect scores. He mentioned that he felt proud they worked so hard to get those scores. He also said that a lot of teachers admired their efforts and that they felt that they represent the school very well.