How to Score a 36 on the ACT: Advice From Three Hamilton Perfect-Scorers
In March 2026, Hamilton juniors Dylan Frankovis, Shivansh Gautam, and Evan Basse earned a perfect score on the ACT, the college-entrance standardized test that Hamilton administers. Nationally, less than 1% of students achieve this feat.
In this Charger Spotlight, readers will learn more about these three accomplished juniors as well as learn about ACT strategies taken from these perfect-scorers. Whether you’re a rising senior looking for a score boost before applying to college, or an underclassmen looking to get a head start on standardized testing, these tips are bound to help you!
Dylan Frankovis is involved in Student Ambassadors, Student Advisory Council, NHS, Story Builders, DECA, French Club, soccer, and alpine ski racing. Outside of school, Dylan is part of Parks Ski Racing, Schoolhouse Tutoring, and TOPSoccer. He volunteers at his church, and has various jobs such as soccer refereeing, events assistance, and ski instructing. Dylan’s hobbies include playing games with his family, reading, skiing, soccer, running, hanging out with friends, watching movies, and listening to music.
Shivansh Gautam is involved in DECA, Rocketry, NHS, and Science NHS. Outside of school, Shivansh works at Kumon, volunteers at Aurora Summit Hospital, has played piano for the last 9-10 years, and created a science education website. He has also competed in national biology/medicine Olympiads, plays cricket and soccer, and does neuro research. Shivansh has two dogs, so he loves to walk them and spend time with them.
Evan Basse has run cross country for the past 3 years. He’s also on the golf team, Student Ambassadors, and NHS. Outside of school, he works as a ski instructor at Ausblick Ski Hill, plays in WPGA golf tournaments, and volunteers at his church. Evan loves to play the guitar, watch shows, go to the gym, play golf for fun, and hang out with his friends.
Now, let’s get into their tips for taking the ACT!
Have you taken the ACT prior to your perfect score test? If so, how has your score improved, and what advice would you give to students in the same boat?
Dylan: Yes, I took it at the beginning of my sophomore year, and got a 34. My score improved in the reading, English, and writing scores. My advice would be to make sure that you feel comfortable and sharp on the day-of; focus is key because of how long the test is. For example, get lots of sleep, eat a full and healthy breakfast, and don’t cram a ton beforehand.
Shivansh: Yeah, I did, and my score improved. The main thing to do is to use the previous test you took to see what your weaknesses are and really drill in on those things.
Evan: I didn’t take the ACT before the school-administered test, but I did take the SAT. I definitely think the SAT was harder, but it was also good preparation for the ACT.
What did you do to prepare for the ACT?
Dylan: I mostly reviewed hard questions in the subjects I struggled with, and reviewed those in-depth. I also helped tutor others, and explaining my thought process behind each question helped me identify my own weak points.
Shivansh: I took some practice tests to get a baseline. I noticed I was in the mid to high 20s for reading/writing, the timing for science was a bit tough for me, and the probability math questions were tricky. Once I noticed those mistakes, I focused super hard on fixing them. I studied grammar rules, searched up reading passage strategies, and searched up how to do the probability stuff.
Evan: Not much. I think the only real things I did that could be seen as forms of preparation were the SAT about 3 weeks prior and MCQ practice in AP Lang.
What is the best piece of advice you would give regarding the ACT?
Dylan: Don’t overthink it. It’s more important to stay consistent with your timing than getting every question right, so don’t spend too much time on any single question. Circle back if you have time at the end of the section.
Shivansh: Focus on weaknesses and drill on those rather than trying to study everything. Also, if you are consistently struggling and really can’t figure it out, try the SAT if that format works better. Finally, college apps are holistic, and having a lower standardized test score isn’t even that crazy if you have other things (good essay, ECs, etc) and can work hard on other stuff.
Evan: Make guesses, but never blind guesses. If you have absolutely no idea what the answer to a problem is, especially on the reading and english sections, there’s almost always a way to eliminate an answer or two. Remember that each answer you confirm is wrong boosts your chance of guessing right considerably.
How did you review your practice tests to ensure you never made the same mistake twice?
Dylan: I made sure to read each question thoroughly since it can be easy to make a mistake by misinterpreting. On practice tests I got a few statistics questions wrong, so I mostly focused on those when reviewing for math.
Shivansh: Yup, every time you take a practice test review every mistake.
Evan: I didn’t take any practice tests.
How did you mentally handle the clock on the Reading and Science section, where time is usually the biggest issue?
Dylan: For reading I made sure to go at my own pace and not overthink questions. I went with what felt right and moved on. With science I made sure to get a good understanding of the graphs before moving on to the questions, since I tend to lose a lot of time when I read the question first and then try and find the answer in the graph when I still don't fully understand what it’s saying.
Shivansh: Practice gives you a framework to know how to come up with a strategy and when to skip a question and mark it for later.
Evan: I always read the passages fully before answering the questions on each of those sections, as being able to reference the full picture tends to really help in eliminating incorrect answers.
Do you answer your questions chronologically, or did you have a certain planned sequence?
Dylan: I always answer chronologically to keep things simple.
Shivansh: I did everything chronologically but the math section. The math section is unique because it goes from easy to hard. You’d rather have a time crunch on easy questions than hard questions, so start with the hard question and go in reverse order.
Evan: If I find a question that I can’t answer after 30 seconds to a minute, I flag it and move on. It’s always better to answer the easy questions and pick up those points and take a few misses on the harder ones.
What was your strategy for the notoriously difficult final 10 questions on the Math section?
Dylan: I make sure to go through the earlier questions quickly so that I have a lot of extra time to work through the hard problems.
Shivansh: Study the probability stuff and geometry and weird algebra rules. Also like I said, start with those questions.
Evan: Honestly, I had no clue that the last 10 questions were known to be harder. I’m pretty sure most of my math wound up checking out pretty simply, so I’d say my strategy was the same.
What was your daily study routine, and how many full-length, timed practice tests did you take before test day?
Dylan: Most of the ACT Reading and English questions were easier versions of AP Language questions, and the Writing section is very similar to the AP Language argument essay, so I didn’t really do much dedicated ACT prep for those sections. For math, I made sure to understand the sections I was weakest on (such as statistics). The only practice tests I did were the ones that we did in school.
Shivansh: It’s different for every person so copying a study routine isn’t super helpful. However, I personally did at least a section or two of practice every day and reviewed mistakes. On weekends I did a full test every day. I probably did 7 full tests.
Evan: The only studying I did before the exam was through AP Lang MCQ practice in the classroom and AP Calc rainbow packets. I don’t really think I used any study materials specifically for the ACT. The only practice tests I took were the freshman and sophomore year preACTs.
What is the single most effective piece of advice you’d give someone who is already scoring in the 30s but wants to push into the 36 range?
Dylan: Results can be random so sit for the real test a handful of times. Your score can fluctuate a lot even if your understanding is the same. Taking more tests makes it more likely that one of them gives you a score in the higher part of your score range.
Shivansh: Focus on mistakes and know that you’ve done the majority of the work getting to a 30, just got to do a bit more.
Evan: I was in your shoes. I scored a 31 freshman year on the preACT, and a 34 sophomore year—as you keep building your overall knowledge, it’ll only get easier to get closer to that 36.
When you’re unsure about a question on the test, how did you go about the answer?
Dylan: I just narrow down my options then guess.
Shivansh: Ask Dylan how to guess.
Evan: I tend to skip the problems I’m not sure about for the time being before going back to them. I only had 2 or 3 on the reading and english sections, and after I went back to them I found it easier to put the questions together in my mind and answer them. There were a couple on the math that I don’t think I ever actually figured out, so I decided to just make as educated of a guess as I could. In a way, you could say I just got kinda lucky.
What was your night and morning routine before the test?
Dylan: Going to sleep super early, eating a full breakfast without caffeine, talking with friends/family to destress before the test.
Shivansh: Sleep at around 8 or so, wake up at around 6, and get a good night's sleep. Drink enough water and eat a good breakfast. Don’t cram review or anything just relax the day before/morning of.
Evan: I basically followed my normal routine, except for making sure I got ready a bit quicker in the morning so I had extra time to get into my room and settle in.
How did you feel after the test? Did you believe you got a perfect score?
Dylan: I felt like I did well but it’s hard to know for sure given the significant number of questions.
Shivansh: I felt pretty good. I thought I got close, but wasn’t crazy confident about it.
Evan: Not really, to be honest. I thought it was pretty easy, and I was confident on the reading and english sections, but I was pretty sure I would have stumbled a bit more on the math than I actually did.
What would you recommend for students that don’t have enough time to fully answer the remaining questions in a section?
Dylan: Pick “A” for each question that you don’t have time to answer.
Shivansh: Guess and go with the most complex answer with the most buzzwords.
Evan: It sounds stupid, but you really, really, REALLY, need to stay fully focused. It sounds simple, but I know personally how easy it can be (especially early in the morning) to zone out and drift away from the exam. If you’re not finishing a section, I’d bet there’s a pretty good chance that’s the reason. If you feel like you’re focused and still just can’t pull away with enough time, consider speeding up the rate in which you skip past questions you can’t figure out.
Did you use a specific prep book, or primarily rely on official full-length exams?
Dylan: Neither, just searched up specific questions on Google. My AP classes—especially Lang—really reduced the need for additional prep.
Shivansh: Don’t spend any money on prep books, you can find lots of free stuff. Strategies on YouTube are really good. I also randomly found a bunch of full real past ACT tests on Github with a Google search somehow.
Evan: Kinda didn’t do either.
What was your strategy for staying calm or resetting your brain between sections?
Dylan: Talking with friends.
Shivansh: Just go question by question and don’t try to calculate what you got or worry about past sections.
Evan: I walked around and ate the snack I brought. I also was able to find and talk to a couple of my friends, which helped me decompress a bit.
What’s your favorite way to destress?
Dylan: Making food, being active, listening to music. Depends on my mood.
Shivansh: Listening to music and taking a nap.
Evan: My go-to method is either playing music or listening to music I love. Spending time with my dog helps too.
