SPRINGDALE -- Har-Ber High School senior Alex O'Brien was one point shy of the top score on the ACT when he took the exam for college-bound students as a sophomore.
"I wanted to see if I could get a 36," O'Brien said.
He and Rhamlee Reynolds, who graduated in the Har-Ber Class of 2014, had a friendly competition to see who could accomplish that feat first. Reynolds became the first Har-Ber student to score 36 on the ACT last school year. O'Brien in his junior year scored a 34.
O'Brien gave the ACT one last shot in December and achieved his goal. He's the second Har-Ber student to earn a 36 in the school's 10-year history.
"I realized I had already been taught everything," O'Brien said. "It was just about being able to recollect it during the test."
Fewer than 1 percent of students nationally who take the ACT earn a 36 composite score, said ACT spokesman Ed Colby. Last year, nine Arkansas students in the Class of 2014 earned a 36 among 26,821 in the class who took the test.
The ACT consists of four multiple-choice tests in English, mathematics, reading and science, Colby said. Each test is scored on a scale of 1 to 36. The composite score is the average of the four test scores, so it is possible for students to achieve a 36 without making the top score on each portion.
The ACT measures the skills and knowledge students have learned in school, Colby said.
"Students who earn a 36 on the ACT have likely taken challenging courses in school and done an extremely good job of learning the content of those courses," Colby said. "They likely have mastered all of the academic skills they will need to succeed in the first year of college."
O'Brien, 17, plays saxophone in the band at Har-Ber. He's involved with student council and the National Honor Society. He participates in academic competitions through Quiz Bowl. He likes biking and playing around with hanging hammocks.
O'Brien also is a National Merit semifinalist. He will take nine Advanced Placement classes by the time he graduates in May.
He learned he had earned the top score on the ACT while he was visiting relatives in Pennsylvania in late December. O'Brien earned a 36 overall score and a 36 on each portion of the test.
"I set my mind to it and worked for it," he said. "I'm going to be able to have success in college and career some day."
The day O'Brien took the ACT in December was a long day, said his mother, Nancy O'Brien. He was scheduled for a full day of rehearsals for the all-region jazz band, followed by a concert that night. She remembers trying to talk him out of taking the ACT again, but her son was determined.
He took the test that morning at Har-Ber and then drove to Springdale High School for the rehearsals, she said.
Nancy O'Brien described her son as having a dry-witted sense of humor and as someone who is quick to help other people. He's a gifted test-taker with a knack for remembering and understanding what he's learning, she said.
For Alex O'Brien, the hardest part of the ACT was the science test, he said. The challenge was wading through lots of information to find nuggets of information needed to answer questions correctly, he said.
While he felt confident he learned all he needed to answer the questions, being able to work through the questions within the time limit was difficult, he said.
"I practiced pacing myself to make sure I was getting everything done," he said.
O'Brien also learned to keep himself calm and focused on the test. Having already earned a near-top score took some of the pressure off, he said. He knew he was taking the ACT again to prove to himself he could make a 36.
"I tried not to think too much about what was at stake," he said.
O'Brien's top choices for college are the University of Arkansas and Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He plans to pursue a degree in engineering, with a possible focus on chemical engineering. He wants to put his education toward helping the environment by working to make industries cleaner, he said.
NW News on 01/17/2015
