COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Northern Kentucky teenager Brian Becker was so ill with a sinus infection the day he was to take his ACT college admissions exam, his parents suggested he skip it.

But the Covington Latin High School senior toughed it out and recorded a perfect score.

The Kentucky Enquirer reports that when Brian took the test in September, he was the only student in the state to score a perfect 36. He was one of 52 students out of some 250,000 nationwide to ace the test.

Despite the infection that struck him the night before the test, there was something that made the bright teen feel confident. He says he had a feeling the night before that something big was going to happen.