Local Students Earn Perfect Scores

Published September 16, 2010

Two Williamson County students know what it's like to achieve perfection.  Brentwood High School senior Eric Donahue and Franklin High junior Linda Xu recently earned perfect scores on the ACT and SAT respectively.  Donahue scored a 36 on the ACT, while Xu aced the SAT with a score of 2400.

"It feels really good because I know I have a better chance of getting into the colleges I want," said Xu, who also scored a perfect 36 on the ACT as a sophomore.  "It's definitely an achievement for me because I prepared a lot for them."  After graduation, Xu says she plans to go to college and study neuroscience.

Donahue says he wasn't expecting to ace the ACT exam considering he didn't really study for it.  "This was my second time to take the test," said Donahue, who scored a 33 on his first try.  "My parents pushed me to study but I spent most of my time doing other work for school."  Donahue, who is also an eagle scout, says he hasn't decided on a college yet but plans to study either biology, psychology or math.

The ACT and the SAT are the nation's main college entrance exams.  On average, less than one-tenth of one percent of all test takers earn the top score on the ACT, while even fewer achieve a perfect score on the SAT.