Meade County student who made perfect ACT score plans to take the test again

BRANDENBURG, Ky. (WDRB) -- Athletic achievement builds legends at Meade County High School. Students who swing bats, score touchdowns, and shoot hoops forge lasting reputations. Their names make it to the school's Hall of Fame and stand the test of time.

John Psyck has also made a name for himself but for other reasons. The 17-year-old Meade County High School student earned a perfect score on the ACT.

"It's a big deal, and it's really cool to say, 'Yeah, I'm not some sports star here, but John Psyck, you know, I was able to make my name doing something else," Psyck said. "I think it's really, really awesome."

He scored a 36 and said he didn't even study.

Psyck is now in an elite class. Less than 4,000 of the nearly 2 million students who took the ACT last year earned a top score.

That perfect number will likely help Psyck in his career choice.

"I definitely would love to go into robotics design," he said.

The 36 can't be that big of a surprise.

John's dad, Jeff Psyck, said he never has to keep on his son to get his homework done.

"He really never has homework, because he finishes everything up in school before he ever gets home," he said.

As a 4.0 student, Psyck aced more tests than he can count, but he still appears every bit the everyday teenager, with skinny jeans and rips on the knees. But his casual veneer melts away when he starts talking about his love for mathematics, specifically calculus.

"There's a lot of small patterns in it that are just beautiful to me," he said.

Not many people would describe calculus as "beautiful."

Even the perfect score is not perfect enough for Psyck.

"It's like, 'OK, I have to get a 36 again,'" he said.

He plans to take the test again in his senior year, adding the writing portion. It's needed for entry into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he hopes to study engineering. Additionally Psyck's score was rounded up by the testing service.

Meade County High School Principal Janette Schmidt said the last perfect ACT in Meade County was 14 years ago.

"He is an amazing young man," Schmidt said, adding that Psyck is "history in the making, and he's only a junior."

Schmidt said it's time for the school's Hall of Fame to include members who have had achievements in athletic and academic fields.

"You don't have to be in sports to make name for yourself," Psyck said.

Psyck said that he had one motivation spurring him on: to beat his brother's ACT store of 31.