Alabama twins post perfect scores on ACT tests

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Enterprise High School juniors Brian and Alex Lawson had high aspirations for the last ACT tests they took – but the twins never thought it would lead to perfection.

The 17-year-old brothers learned Tuesday they tallied 36s — the highest score possible on the test used for college admissions — in their April attempt. For the 2016 graduating class, only 2,235 students out of more than 2 million achieved the feat, according to figures from the organization that administers the test.

The scores came as a shock to the brothers, who each recorded a 32 as sophomores.

“I didn’t know exactly how many people end up with a 36. I think it’s 0.1 percent,” Alex said. “I thought it would be less common than that.”

“I didn’t really expect it,” Brian added.

The twins’ mother, Laura Stanley, said Brian and Alex have expressed an affinity for learning since they began attending school.

“Even when they were real young, they were really good in math and really eager to learn. That’s who they are,” she said. “In kindergarten, they were just eager to keep moving through lessons. It was a self-paced program, so they were just able to keep going.”

After nearly acing the SATs earlier this year – both recorded scores higher than 1550 – the Lawsons aimed for the comparatively modest goal of earning 34s on this year’s attempt. Brian said he specifically sharpened his math skills in order to obtain the goal.

“Usually when I take it I do worse on the math because there are just things you need to remember, but I forget them because I haven’t taken math in awhile,” he said. “When you study it and do practice tests, it can help.”

Alex said sibling rivalry never pushed the two, and Brian said they often studied together. Stanley noted the brothers study with great determination – usually.

“They’re very conscientious students,” she said. “Sometimes we have to monitor what’s going on and double-checking. There’s a lot to keep track of.”

After learning of their perfect scores, Alex posed a very important question to himself: What’s next?

“I was wondering what you do with it,” he said.

What will likely happen will be a stronger deluge of college recruitment materials cluttering the family’s mailbox. Following last year’s ACT and this year’s SAT, the twins had already been receiving plenty of promotional packs.

Both want to pursue careers in science and technology: Alex in computer science or computer engineering and Brian in electrical engineering. College choices will likely be in the Northeast since the family will relocate there following the twins’ early graduation in December.

The family will tour some colleges in that region this summer.

What will not be on the list of objectives, though, is another attempt at the ACT.

“I don’t think there’s anything else left to do,” Brian said.

“I didn’t even want to take the second one,” Alex added.

Republished with permission of The Associated Press.