May 31, 2019 3 min read

While watching their son grow up, Hemant and Gauri Bhave didn’t realize one day he would obtain a perfect ACT score on his first attempt.

“You can’t predict something so outstanding could happen,” Hemant Bhave said. “He has always been a top preforming student from the beginning, but this shows how much work he has put in.”

Atharv Bhave, a junior at Canon-McMillan High School, scored a 36 on the ACT – the highest score any test taker can get. The Washington County native was sleeping when the scores came out – while his mother, Gauri, was anxiously checking to see if the scores were up.

“The scores come out in the middle of the night, so I was asleep, but my mom was checking the scores over and over,” Bhave said. “It was nice to see what I got.”

Bhave attributes his accomplishment to dedicating time to taking practice tests. He brushed up on his geometry skills beforehand and took three practice tests before the real test.

“I only took the test one time,” Bhave said.

According to Prep Scholar, only one-tenth of one percent of students who take the ACT earn the top score. In the class of 2018, 1,914,817 students took the ACT. The average composite score was 20.8, so a score of 21 or higher means the student is above average.

Out of almost two million students who took the test in 2018, only 3,741 received a 36. Another 14,928 students scored 35. On the ACT, a score of 34 or higher is in the 99th percentile.

Bhave has been recognized as an AP Scholar. He plans to study something involving science, but hasn’t decided what he’s interested in. He will be interning at the Health Care Discovery program through the Allegheny Health Network this summer. When it comes to picking a college, Bhave isn’t sure where he wants to go just yet.

This isn’t the first time Bhave has been recognized for his knowledge. When Bhave was a student at Canonsburg Middle School, he won the 65th annual Western Pa. Spelling Bee, which sent him to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

On advice to other students aiming for a high score, Bhave said you have to know the basics.

“If you forget something, go back over it until you remember it,” Bhave said. “The difference between a low and high score is not giving up and focusing on what you want.”

Karen Rubican, a guidance counselor at Canon-McMillan for a decade, wasn’t shocked to hear that Bhave was the first student at Canon-McMillan to achieve the 36.

“He’s very intelligent,” Rubican said. “We’ve had students get to 35 before, but to get a perfect score on this test is wonderful. It’s impressive.”

In the future, Rubican plans to help other students achieve high scores by making sure the students know they have the resources at Canon-McMillan.

“I want to help other students by making sure they know the difference between ACT and SAT,” Rubican said. “Taking practice tests will help our students do better.”