Edina High School’s Jessica Hankes earns perfect score on ACT

EDINA, Minn. – When she opened the letter last month from the Chief Executive Officer of the ACT organization, Edina High School senior Jessica Hankes said she was surprised to read that she had aced the college admission and placement exam, earning a prefect composite score of 36.

“I really wasn’t expecting it myself,” said Hankes who had taken the test once before and earned a commendable score of 33. “I did really well on the test before, but my big issue was the math section. So I bought a prep book and practiced the math problems a lot. I guess it paid off.”

Indeed it did. Nationally, while the actual number of students earning a composite score of 36 varies from year to year, roughly one-tenth of one percent receive a top score. That equates to only about 700 out of more than 1.6 million students earning a composite score of 36.

The ACT 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.

”We are very proud of Jessica’s achievement attaining a perfect score on the ACT,” said Dr. Bruce Locklear, Edina High School Principal.  “She is one of a very select group of students nationwide to achieve this feat. This is a truly an honor for Jessica and our school community.”

Jessica, who holds a third-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, isn’t exactly sure of her future plans or where she wants to go to college next year, but she says she is interested in studying physics. Wherever she decides to attend, her performance with the ACT should have many schools interested in her talents.

“It was really cool to know that I earned a 36,” Hankes said. “I was really worried about how we were going to pay for college, but this should help.”