Glenbrook South Student Earns Perfect ACT Score

To most, earning a 34 on the ACT would be an accomplishment worth celebrating. But to Glenbrook South senior Brandon Loebbaka, it was motivation to try harder.

“I thought that I could do better. Whether or not I out-performed myself, I knew the possibility was there, and I knew I needed to at least try for a 35 or 36,” he said.

Recently, Loebbaka learned that he earned a perfect 36 on the ACT – a 215 multiple-choice question test that is administered every year in the United States and U.S. territories. It was a goal he had set for himself early on and worked hard at achieving. Admittedly, though, it felt a bit impossible. 

“The perfect score was something I had always wanted, but never really expected.  It was the carrot at the end of the stick, so even though I was constantly striving for it, it seemed unattainable. Despite that, I kept it in my sights,” he said.

Loebbaka earned the score after taking the ACT a second time. He had prepared differently this time around, making sure he knew what each section consisted of so there wouldn’t be any surprises.

He also was more conscious of his time, particularly during the reading portion that is heavy with information. Instead of absorbing every detail, he tried to only focus on what was important and directly related to the questions.  

Regardless of his preparation, though, Loebbaka walked away from the test doubting it was enough to earn a perfect score. In fact, he thought he had actually done worse. 

“I remember the day I saw the score for the first time, I kept expecting an email to show up that said, ‘Sorry we made a mistake, you didn't actually get a 36,’” he said. “It just felt so unreal. I was sort of stuck in a state of shock while my mom was flipping out about it.  Definitely a great, albeit strange, feeling.”

Loebbaka plans to study engineering or business next fall. He is looking into several universities including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern, Wisconsin at Madison, Indiana University, and a few others.

As for any advice to future test takers, he said mental preparation plays a very important role. 

“Know what type of questions you are going to see on all of the different sections, and don't lose track of time,” Loebbaka said. “You don't want to go into the test and see a type of question you have never seen before, or think you have 20 minutes left when you only have 10.  That type of thing always makes me panic, and I can never focus on the task at hand when I'm like that.”

"Like" Glenview Patch on Facebook to see future community updates in your news feed.