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Student's practice makes perfect for ACT exam
(by Sue Hoffman - October 01, 2008)
Student's practice makes perfect for ACT exam
By SUE HOFFMAN
The first time Solon High School senior Sara Akl took the ACT exam last April, she received a score of 35 out of a possible 36.
"My guidance counselors encouraged me to try again," she recalled last weekend, and she decided to go for it. She took some practice tests in a book she had purchased and signed up for the June 14 test.
"I went in feeling confident in my ability," she said.
Results that she received proved that her efforts were worth it. Sara was one of 19 students in Ohio and 162 in the United States and abroad who received the highest possible score of 36 on the June 2008 ACT college admissions test.
"I was happy I moved up a point," she said. "People are proud of me."
Overall, 410,000 students, including 33,500 in Ohio took the June exam, according to the letter Sara received from Richard L. Ferguson, chief executive officer of ACT Inc. The average composite score across the United States was 21.2.
One 2008 graduate in 3,300 achieved a perfect score, according to the ACT Web site. The ACT is curriculum-based, rather than an aptitude or intelligence test. Questions relate to what students have learned in high school courses in English, mathematics, and science.
ACT statistics show that more than half have benefited from taking the ACT more than once, with 55 percent increasing their composite score on the retest. Of the remainder, 22 percent had no change and 23 percent decreased their composite score.
Sara, the daughter of Mustafa and Barbara Akl, said she is applying to eight colleges, including six in the Ivy League as well as University of Virginia and Miami University of Ohio.
"I'm still undecided as to my major, but I have strong interests in biology, foreign language and international relations," she said.
In the meantime she stays busy by taking six Advanced Placement classes, playing clarinet in the school band, serving in National Honor Society and participating on the school's Academic Challenge team and Amnesty International. She also plays piano and basketball and serves as a peer tutor, freshman mentor and band secretary. In addition, she enjoys doing community service at the Solon Public Library and as a Girl Scout.
"I like to keep a regular schedule and learn a lot," said Sara, who is a Commended Student in the National Merit Scholarship program.
She also excelled in Le Grand Concours national French test. In her freshman year, she ranked sixth in the state and nation at the second level, and as a junior, she scored sixth in the state and eighth in the nation for the fourth level.
A record 1.42 million members of the U.S. high school graduating class of 2008 took the ACT. This is a 9 percent increase from last year and a 21 percent increase compared to 2004. These test-takers represent 43 percent of all high school graduates nationally, up from 42 percent in 2007 and 40 percent in 2006.
In Ohio, where 65 percent of 2008 graduates take the ACT, the average composite score was 21.7. The ACT exam included four sections: reading, English, mathematics and science, as well as an optional writing section.
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