Bied aces ACT

By Gigi Ekstrom

Lakehill senior Preston Bied (pictured) earned the highest possible ACT composite score of 36. In the U.S. high school graduating class of 2019, only 4,879 out of nearly 1.8 million students, or fewer than half of one percent (.5 percent), who took the ACT earned the top composite score of 36. 

The ACT 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. Bied received a letter from ACT CEO Marten Roorda stating, “Your achievement on the ACT is significant and rare. Your exceptional scores will provide any college or university with ample evidence of your readiness for the academic rigors that lie ahead.” The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam that measures what students have learned in school. Students who earn a 36 composite score have likely mastered all of the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in first-year college courses in the core subject areas. Bied admits to being surprised at the results. “I was really happy to learn that my hard work and studying paid off.”