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Summarized by Kent Larsen
LDS Student Achieves Perfection . . . On Test
Augusta GA Chronicle 17Apr00 P2
By Lisa M. Lohr: South Carolina Bureau
AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA -- LDS student Joshua Johnson has achieved a
rare feat, one achieved by just a 12,000 of more than a million
students that take the ACT, the American College Test. Joshua
achieved a perfect 36 on the test, virtually assuring entrance into
the school of his choice and guaranteeing a scholarship to many
schools.
Joshua is currently a junior at South Aiken High School, and also
attends seminary each morning before school and takes another
seminary class by home study in the afternoons. He is also an Eagle
Scout.
But Joshua claims that he didn't concentrate too much on the test.
Instead, he says he was prepared because of his background. He has
been a member of the school Academic Team, competing against other
schools in a Jeopardy-like quiz game. He has also taken advanced
placement classes and a night class which will allow him to graduate
this year, a year before his peers. In addition, Joshua has taken the
two major standardized achievement tests just about every time they
were available. He has taken the SAT twice and managed a perfect
score on the verbal portion of the test. He took the pre-SAT four
times. This is the second time that he has taken the ACT.
Joshua plans to attend BYU, and the score will serve him well. He has
been awarded a Gordon B. Hinckley scholarship, which will cover
$4,300 of his tuition and board, about half of the cost of attending
BYU, according to his mother, Marlane.
He says that the test wasn't exactly easy for him, "The science
section is very difficult. [The first time I took the test] it
really took my score down.'' And he wasn't even expecting the
perfect sore, "I was guessing maybe a 33 or 34; I was really
pleasantly surprised,'' he said.
His mother says that he simply has an ability to take these tests
well, "He has the kind of mind that just retains facts,'' she said.
"And it is very important to him to do well. This has really helped
to open some doors, and that was a real gift.''
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