A few weeks ago, the scores for the ACT test came out, and students that took it were gifted with their results. Senior Zaid Nathani was especially surprised with his perfect score.

“It was like 4 a.m. and I just found out the ACT scores came out and when I saw the 36 I kind of screamed,” Nathani said.

Receiving such a score on a test like the ACT or SAT creates a boost in self-confidence since they are difficult. Getting a higher score proves that the student knew more than they probably thought.

“I felt way more confident with anything I could do because if I can get a 36 on the ACT I can do a lot of things,” Nathani said.

One of Nathani’s previous teachers, who gave him a letter of recommendation, had faith and believed he, like the rest of their students, were capable of excelling and he proved them right.

“He was a very hard-working student,” Pre-AP Chemistry teacher Joseph Kopfler said. “He was always going above and beyond…in my class and [got] the work done. With any Pre-AP student, I expected them to do abstract concepts and pick up on logic easily and he picked it up quite well.”

Another teacher he had this year, had kind words to say about him as well as their other students.

“I think he’s very hardworking… [and] understands the material,” Economics teacher Stephanie Evans said. “I hope all my students do that well.”

Compared to their classes Nathani’s teachers believed he proved his excellence with his ACT score.

“[His grades] were on par, he was always an excellent student and his grades showed it with whatever he did,” Kopfler said.

Like any other test, in order to pass and get a high score, or grade, studying is a big part of being able to surpass personal expectations.

“I studied for two weeks,” Nathani said. “I basically just took a bunch of practice tests and every time I missed a question I went online and reviewed every concept that I missed and therefore I just kept learning and learning.”

“If you pay attention in class and understand… it helps you do better,” Evans said.

For tests such as the ACT and SAT the standards are different, but the process of how and what one study, or what one knows, is always the way one exceeds their own expectations.

“The highest I got on a practice test was a 34 and I felt like the practice tests were a bit easier, so I was hoping for a 34 or a 33, but I guess I got lucky,” Nathani said.