A senior from Heritage High School is among the first students in Frisco ISD to ever score a perfect composite score of 36 on the ACT college readiness exam.
17-year-old Revanth Poondla of Frisco took the test only once in June.
“It seemed pretty easy, but I was surprised and excited when I found out,” he said. “I thought it would improve my chances of getting into competitive colleges and programs across the nation.”
Poondla’s score puts him in elite company – less than one-tenth of one percent of all students nationwide who take the ACT earn a top score.
Among test takers in the high school graduating class of 2012, only 781 of more than 1.66 million students earned a composite score of 36.
Poondla is the first student in the history of Heritage High School to achieve the feat.
“We are so proud of Revanth and all his accomplishments,” said Principal Mark Mimms. “His success on the ACT should serve him well as he plans for college and life after graduation.”
Two other FISD students, Centennial High School senior Gianna Mason and 2013 Liberty High School graduate Tiffany Kuan, also earned a perfect composite score of 36 on the ACT.
The ACT college readiness assessment 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. Some students also take ACT’s optional Writing Test, but the score for that test is reported separately and is not included within the ACT composite score.
In 2013, the average composite ACT score was 20.9 for students in Texas and across the nation. The average score in Frisco ISD was 23.6.
So what is Poondla’s advice for other students?
“Prepare and practice a lot,” he said. “When you take the test, don’t worry about whether you got a question right or wrong, just solve it and move on.”
Poondla plans to study medicine and hopes to enter an accelerated program to earn his undergraduate and graduate degrees in seven years.