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Richards earns perfect ACT score
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By ELISA SAND, Staff Reporter
| 03/05/2013 |
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Jackson Richards was hoping for a 33 on his second round of the ACTs -- and he got a perfect 36!
Richards took the ACT for the first time as a sophomore and scored a 31. His goal was to take the ACT early just to see what score he could get, then study in the areas he needed to work on and take the test again.
In the end, however, Richards didn't have much time to study.
"I was super busy, so I crammed for the math part and took it the next morning," he said.
A junior this year, Richards said that he was surprised to find out he'd achieved a perfect score. Statistically, less than 1/10th of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earn the top score. In 2012, only 781 out of 1.66 million students scored a 36.
The ACT tests a student in English, mathematics, reading and science. Each test is scored on a scale of 1-36 and the composite score is the average of all four tests.
Higher ACT scores typically attract bigger and better scholarship packages, but Richards said his aspirations are set on schools that place less of a priority on ACT scores and a higher priority on musical talent.
"I'm going to audition for conservatories," he said. "I really like music -- especially piano. I would feel I was missing out if I did anything else."
Entrance into those schools is based on a 45-minute recorded audition submitted in December, followed by a live audition in the spring if the recorded audition is selected. Auditions typically range from classical and baroque to modern music.
Richards has been playing the piano with instructor Colleen Tucker for 10 years, but said he started getting really serious about it three or four years ago.
Richards hopes to earn a double degree in performance and accompaniment. His top school choice would be Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. Otherwise, there's a conservatory in Michigan and several on both coasts, he said.
Richards is the son of Mike and Jenn Richards of Madison.
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©Madison Daily Leader 2013
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