There’s no short cut to hard work

It’s good to see high school students working hard towards achieving their dreams.

Recently seniors of Pearl River Central High School and Poplarville High School respectively scored very high on their standardized tests. With scores this good, it’s hard to argue that we can expect much more from these young men.

Carson Berth from PRCHS scored a 35 on his ACT and plans to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. Zachary Couvillion from Poplarville High was among 16,000 students in the nation who scored so well on the PSAT that he was named as a National Merit semifinalist.

Couvillion plans to major in math.

Both of these young men are already sending applications to some of the premium educational institutions in the nation.

The ACT and PSAT are tests that not only gauge a student’s knowledge on subjects covered in class, but can also act as a gauge for that person’s dedication. The ACT is required to apply to any university and the better the score, the better your chance of being accepted to a good college. In an article by Education Week, it was stated that last year more than 2.09 million graduates from high school took the ACT and approximately 1.64 million students took the SAT.

Even though these tests are not benchmarks for a student’s intelligence, scoring well on these tests definitely opens a lot of doors, including securing the right job.

Both Berth and Couvillion had rigorous school schedules which allowed them little time to focus on much more than their school work, but it was their drive to achieve their desired career objective that helped them score so well.

So what is their secret to success? Both young men suggest taking a lot of practice tests, studying subjects that are the most difficult to the individual, working on test taking strategies and most of all not giving up.