Cary-Grove High Junior Earns Perfect Score on ACT on His First Try

A lot of high school students will take the ACT test more than once to earn their desired score.

But for Paul Tschurtz, a junior at Cary-Grove High School, that won't be the case. Tschurtz earned a perfect score of 36 during his first crack at the ACT in October.

Quite the accomplishment since less than one-tenth of one percent of students who take the ACT earn a top score. Nationally, only 2,235 out of nearly 2.1 million of 2016 graduates who took the ACT earned a composite score of 36.

“I was really surprised. I didn’t have to guess on any answers, but I still expected to get a few wrong. I was hoping for a 34, but I was really happy,” said Tschurtz.

Paul realized he received a perfect score when he checked the app on his phone for his results. A few days later he received a letter notifying him of his accomplishment. He attended a test prep class twice a week for two months prior to taking the test, according to a news release from District 155.

Tschurtz is enrolled in several AP classes including Calculus, Physics, Research, U.S. History, and Honors German. He’s also involved in several extracurricular activities including German club and engineering club. He also plays basketball and is a referee for a basketball league.

As for his future, he wants to pursue a career as a patent attorney.

“I have always wanted to be a lawyer, but I really enjoy engineering and I’m good at it, so I decided to merge the two together,” Tschurtz said.

Paul is just beginning to research colleges and plans to schedule college visits over the summer.

He is the third District 155 student to receive a perfect 36 this year. Jacob Anderson and Teresa Fisher, both Crystal Lake South High School students, earned perfect scores last spring.

Photo via Shutterstock