TEJ CHAJED
Yearbook photo

URBANA — Junior Tej Chajed was one of only six students in Illinois to earn a perfect score of 36 on the February ACT college admissions and placement exam.

Chajed recently received the good news from Richard L. Ferguson, ACT chief executive officer. According to Ferguson, Chajed is one of only 46 students nationally who scored a 36 on the February edition of the test.

The ACT, which has been administered since 1959, is a standardized test that features 215 questions in the areas of English, math, reading, and science.

In 2008, more than 1.4 million students took the exam; the average composite score was 21.1, according to ACT figures. Only about one in every 3,300 students scores a 36.

Illinois students earned an average composite of 20.7 last year, slightly less than the national average.

Among Uni students, 52 members of the current senior class took the ACT and averaged a composite score of 31.5 (based on the highest composite for each student through June 2008), according to college counselor Lisa Micele.

The exam is spread out over approximately four hours. The actual testing time consists of 45 minutes for English, 60 for math, 35 for reading, and 35 for science. An optional writing test lasts 30 minutes.

According to the ACT Web site, the test is administered nationwide on six dates: in September, October, December, February, April, and June. Students may take the test as many times as they wish though only once per national test date.