West Virginia University student Tracy Poff is anything but average. For one thing, he reads math and physics books for fun. For another, he got a perfect score on his ACT last February.

Only 62 of approximately 218,000 high school students nationwide scored a 36, the highest possible composite score on the three-hour exam, and Poff was the only one of about 2,500 West Virginia test-takers to ace the ACT .

Born in Charleston, this brainiac grew up in Hamlin and graduated from Hurricane High School. Described as a computer whiz by his parents, Darla and Ronald, Poff took advanced placement courses in high school when he became bored with other classes.

Now a freshman math major at the University, he is involved in the WVU Honors Orientation program and lives in Stalnaker Hall.

Im enjoying my two math classes immensely,he said.Between them, they

cover calculus, which I find rather intriguing, and set theory and logic, which are the fundamental basis of math.

With many anxious West Virginia students getting ready for the Dec. 11 ACT exam, Poff has one piece of advicedont panic.

Poffstest prep,by his own admission, was anything but normal.

Since I didnt attempt to study for the exam and stayed up late the night before, I think that doing just what I didnt would be good advice,he said.

On the day of the exam, while other students were waiting nervously to get started, he drank a can of Mountain Dew.

With proper preparation, Poff said a good score is attainable. Each of the four sectionsEnglish, math, reading and scienceis of roughly equal difficulty. The trick is to finish the 200-plus questions before time runs out.

According to ACT officials, the average composite score for the national high school graduating class of 2004 was 20.9. WVU s freshman class boasts the highest academic profile in recent history, with an average ACT composite score of 23.

Poff said he knew he did pretty well, but getting a perfect scoreand the college

offers and media attention that followedwas a surprise for the very quiet teen-ager. As news of his achievement spread quickly, it wasnt long before a recruiter from a nearby university came knocking on his door.

Poff said he ultimately chose WVU because the potential scholarship opportunities were just too good to pass up, and many of his cousins had attended the University.

I havent any clearly defined goals right now,he said,but I did not come to WVU to prepare for a job; I came to WVU because I love learning.