Nov. 18, 2022 (updated Jan. 10, 2023)

Liberty High School junior Rafay Cheema earned the highest possible ACT composite score of 36. Nationally, while the actual number of students earning the top score varies from year to year, on average, only around one-half of 1% of students who take the ACT earn a 36. Among test takers in the U.S. in 2021, only 4,055 of nearly 1.3 million students earned an ACT composite score of 36.

In addition, Cheema scored 1570 out of a possible 1600 on the SAT. In 2019, the average SAT score was 1050, and a score above 1350 is in the top 10% of test takers in the U.S.

Cheema has a weighted 4.33 GPA, is ranked second in his class, and is enrolled in five Advanced Placement (AP) courses, as well as two dual-credit college-level courses. He is a member of HOSA and participates on the debate team. Cheema is a member of the Liberty varsity tennis team, qualifying for state for the past two years and finishing 6th as a freshman. In addition, he has competed in Mathleague competitions since the fourth grade, making it to the state and national competitions each year.

Rafay is the second Liberty student to earn a perfect score on the ACT; the first student to earn a perfect score on the ACT was Rafay’s sister Nawal in 2019.

The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science. Each test is scored on a scale of 1-36, and a student's composite score is the average of the four test scores. The score for ACT’s optional writing test is reported separately and is not included within the ACT composite score.