“I was and am struck by how
polite this young man is every
day. He always says thank you.
His manners are impeccable. It
was my pleasure working with
him. Blaze is ready for anything.”
Attaining perfection is
not easy.
But Atharv Bhave, a junior
at Canon-McMillan High
School, recently achieved
the highest possible ACT
composite score of 36.
In general, only one-tenth
of one percent of students
who take the ACT earn the
top score. The ACT includes
tests in English, mathematics,
reading and science, each
scored on a scale of 1-36.
A composite score is the
average of each of the four score areas.
Bhave said while he knew he was doing well during the
test; he had no idea he would post a perfect score.
“I really didn’t have that in mind,” he said. “I don’t like to
reflect while I am taking a test. I wasn’t sure how I did. I kind
of had an idea I might score in the mid- to upper-30s from
the type of questions I was answering.”
The ACT (American College Testing) is a standardized
test for college admissions in the United States. It was
first introduced in November 1959 as a competitor to the
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
The number of test takers of the ACT has grown since its
inception, and in 2011 the ACT surpassed the SAT for the
first time in total test takers.
Bhave said he reviewed some geometry and studied
some other material prior to taking the ACT. He took the SAT
twice before taking the ACT, he said.
“It (perfect score) makes me feel good,” Bhave said. “It’s
cool to be in such a small group out of the millions of kids
who take the test.”
All four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. accept
the ACT, but different institutions place different emphases
on standardized tests such as the ACT, compared with
other factors including class rank, GPA, and extracurricular
activities.
Atharv is the son of Hemant and Gauri Bhave, of
Canonsburg. Atharv intends to go into the field of medicine
and will be interning through the Health Care Discovery
program through the Allegheny Health Network. He has
been recognized as an AP Scholar.
The younger Bhave founded and spearheaded an
initiative to certify students in CPR 100 percent free of cost
to them.
Atharv, who has a cumulative GPA of 4.46 with
distinguished academic honors, said he hasn’t thought
about particular schools to think about attending in the
future.
“I haven’t,” he added. “I am probably a little bit behind as
far as looking at colleges. I haven’t really looked yet.”
CANON-MAC
❘
SUMMER 2019
47