5/24/2024 -- Twin brothers, Eric (bottom photo) and Samuel Lipsutz, (top photo) juniors at North High School, scored a 36 -- the highest possible score -- on the ACT college admissions and placement exam. Both students took the test in April.
Eric’s top university choices include Washington University in St. Louis, The University of Chicago and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and he is interested in studying mathematics and computer science. Eric would like to work in software engineering. Outside of school, Eric enjoys running or walking, reading/making puns, playing chess, and exploring Wikipedia rabbit holes, and breaking parallel syntax.
Samuel’s top university choice is Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and he wants to study something related to computer science. Some specific subfields that currently pique his interest include computational linguistics and AI alignment. Samuel envisions becoming some sort of software engineer. In his free time, Samuel does little bit of modding (creating a program to add features to a certain game). He has also developed a tasteful addiction to chess through his academic lab teacher, Mr. Stiller.
Watch a KSDK, Channel 5 story about Eric and Samuel here.
About one-quarter of 1% of students who take the ACT earn a top score. In the U.S. high school graduating class of 2023, only 2,542 out of 1.39 million students who took the ACT earned a top composite score of 36.
The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science, each scored on a scale of 1–36. A student's composite score is the average of the four test scores. The score for ACT’s optional writing test is reported separately and is not included within the ACT composite score.
The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam that measures what students have learned in school. Students who earn a 36 composite score have likely mastered all of the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in first-year college courses in the core subject areas.
ACT scores are accepted by all major four-year colleges and universities across the U.S.
