On South Senior William Ibele’s third time taking the ACT, he accomplished something that only .01% of ACT test takers achieve.  Ibele, a prospective drama major, earned the highest possible score on the ACT: 36.  According to the The ACT website, the ACT is a “national college admission examination.”

According to Ibele, he originally scored about a 29. He believes that this score may have been attributed to his dislike of standardized testing. He recalled, “There was one time I took the SAT, and this may be similar to the ACT, where I got angry at the test. I don’t like testing, I’m good at testing but I don’t like it . . . Like, ‘why am I taking standardized testing this is stupid.’ Then I just kind of stopped, which is not good.”

Nevertheless, Ibele retook the test two times. With each test his scored raised until he reached the ultimate score regardless of the fact that Ibele did not study for either of the tests. According to an interview with CBS, he was “surprised” when he found out he got a 36. Ibele attributes his final score as a combination of “luck” and being “good at testing.”

Soon after Ibele found out his score, he was contacted by a representative from the Minneapolis Public Schools. They told him that CBS (locally known as WCCO) wanted him on TV. Ibele appeared on WCCO  on January 22nd and was also showcased on the Minneapolis Public Schools homepage. He described the experience as “overwhelming.”

Ibele explained that, “For me, for some reason, [my score] was just not a huge deal. Not that it isn’t an accomplishment, but just not one that I see as super [huge].”

According to the South High website, Ibele wants to go on to study Drama and Theatre Arts. He’s applied to the University of Minnesota, Lawrence University, St. Olaf, Kenyon and Oberlin College.

Since Ibele did not study for the ACT he advises future ACT test takers to,“pay attention in school.”