A Perfect Practice - IC Catholic Prep's Robert Vitek Scores a 36 on the ACT

On the morning of October 24th, 2015, IC Catholic Prep junior, Robert Vitek, earned himself the highest possible ACT Composite score of 36. The ACT exam consists of tests in English, Mathematics, Reading and Science. Each test is scored on a scale of 1–36, and a student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores. A score of 36 is indeed a rare and exceptional achievement, and in Robert’s case, came as a pleasant surprise considering it was his first time taking the test and was going to serve as a practice run.

Admittedly difficult to wake even after a healthy amount of sleep, Robert knew there was not going to be much time to rest the night before the test because he had a Friday night football game with his ICCP Knights team. With his parents out of town visiting his sister at college, Robert would have to rely on his alarm clock and the persistence of a family friend to get him to Elmhurst College on time.

Once in the exam, Robert felt a little tired but pretty relaxed. This was his first time taking the ACT, so it was going to be a practice run for him. Like many students who are taking the exam for the first time, he would be able to see what areas he would need to focus on going forward to improve his score. He prepared for the exam on his own using practice tests from a prep workbook he asked his mom to purchase for him online. He started this work one week before the ACT.

“I took some of the prep tests the week before and if I didn’t do well on one, like math, I just took it again”, explained Robert.

As each section of the exam was completed, Robert grew more comfortable and confident. He even jokingly told his parents and a few close friends afterwards that he felt like he knew the answer to every question. The thought of scoring a 36 though, never really entered his mind.

Robert answered all but two questions correctly on the entire exam, missing those two in the Science section. When asked if he considered taking it again he laughed and said he actually did, but only for a second.

“I felt I could have done better in the optional writing section” said Robert with a smile, ”but my Dad wisely advised me to just go with this result”.

Nationally, on average, less than one-tenth of 1% of students who take the ACT earns the top score. Among test takers in the high school graduating class of 2015, only 1,598 of more than 1.92 million students earned an ACT Composite score of 36. ACT test scores are accepted by all major US colleges. Exceptional scores of 36 provide colleges with evidence of student readiness for the academic rigors that lie ahead.

Steadfastly humble when speaking about his perfect score, Robert is quick to defer the credit to the academic foundation he has built at IC Catholic Prep.

“I definitely feel that it was the faculty and the coursework at ICCP that prepared me so well for this exam, “ said Robert. “From grammar to math, the last three years have made me a confident student. In my experiences as an ICCP student, I have gained the knowledge in all the areas of the ACT and I feel that is the real reason for my success on the exam”.

Of the ICCP Class of 2015, the top 10% earned an average Composite ACT score of 32. The top 25% earned an average score of 30, with the Class of 2015 overall average of 25. According to ACT.org, the average Composite ACT score for Illinois in 2015 is 20.7 with a National average of 21.0.

In addition to being a member of the ICCP Varsity football team, Robert is the Editor of the school newspaper, a member of Student Council, a member of the National Honor Society, and a two-year member of the ICCP Hockey team. He has also been a state finalist for both the Math Team and the Business Professionals of America (BPA). Robert earned the Gold Award on the National Spanish Exam as a freshman and earned the Silver Award as a sophomore.

When the college application process begins for Robert, he will undoubtedly have a lot of choices. For now, he plans to apply to Stanford, Vanderbilt, University of North Carolina, University of Notre Dame, and the University of Illinois. He hasn’t yet decided what he would like to focus his studies on, but is leaning toward the areas of Engineering or Medicine.

IC Catholic Prep is the oldest Catholic, coeducational college prep high school in DuPage County. Located in Elmhurst, ICCP is a regional high school that serves students from over forty communities in the western suburbs. For more information, please check the web-site at www.ICCatholicPrep.org .