Usually, taking one of the most important standardized tests of your high school career while sick with a 101-degree fever is a recipe for disaster, but for senior Maggie Dercole it turned out quite the opposite as she, along with seniors Viorel Silaghi and Christian Camps, earned a perfect 36 on the ACT.

“I was quite surprised when I got the score report back and found out that I got a 36,” Dercole said. “I had the flu that day and I felt like I was dying while I was taking it.”

The ACT is one of the primary exams for college admissions that tests student proficiency in math, science and English.

Getting a perfect score on the ACT is not an easy feat. Only 2,760 test takers achieved a perfect score out of two million test takers worldwide in 2017, and only three students have ever achieved a 36 in school history until this year.

“I am proud of our grade,” Camps said. “I am not surprised that our grade had three people get perfect scores. Our grade has a lot of really smart people compared to the older classes. ”

Camps and Silaghi achieved their perfect scores on their first try while Dercole secured hers on the second attempt.

Silaghi took the test during the summer.

“Probably the hardest challenge I faced when it came to the ACT was registering for it,” Silaghi said. “Since I was out of the country over the summer during the registration window, I had some issues registering for the test.”

West Shore students generally excel at the ACT. When compared to other Florida students, West Shore students score an average of nearly eight points higher on the ACT with a 27 compared to Florida’s statewide average of 19.8.