GEORGE TOWN: Answering past-year examination and trial questions can be the most tedious part of revision.
But that was the secret of success for Bhuvenraj Ganesh who scored straight 9A+ in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).
“Doing so gave me an idea of how the final examination would be like. It really helped,” said the 18-year-old, who is the best student from Penang Free School.
Being the only child in his family, Bhuvenraj said besides studying alone and attending private tuition for five subjects, he also joined study groups to understand certain topics better.
The fan of Korean pop group Blackpink said he plans to enrol at a private college in Penang for his A-Levels.
“I hope to become a mathematician or lecturer.
“I would like to thank the teachers, parents and other school friends who had helped me in the exam,” he said.
Sharing his joy were his parents K. Ganesh, 51, R. Sumitha, 49, and grandfather K. Renganathan, 78.
The science stream student was all smiles when he was congratulated by state Education Department director Abdul Rashid Abdul Samad.
Sumitha, a part-time lecturer at a private college, described her son as a hardworking teenager who knew how to balance his life with studies and play.
“I always give him the freedom to do what he wants.
“But as a parent, we must always keep an eye on our children,” she said.
Another student Goh Suen Yean, 18, never thought she could score 11A+ in SPM 2022 to emerge as one of the top students in Penang.
“It is way out of what I had in mind. The papers were difficult, especially biology as the questions were tricky and difficult,” said the SMK Perempuan Cina Pulau Pinang student.
Asked about her secret to success, Goh said besides tuition, she also did a lot of past-year questions to familiarise herself with the exam format.
She planned to take up a matriculation programme to become a pharmacist one day.
Earlier, Abdul Rashid, in a press conference, said a total of 19 SPM 2022 candidates in Penang achieved straight A+ in all the subjects they had taken.
He said four students scored 11A+, while 11 students scored 10A+ and another four students scored 9A+.
“Overall, the number of candidates who got a combination of A+, A and A- in all their subjects was 688 compared with 666 in 2021,” he said at Penang Free School on Thursday.
He said the National Average Grade (GPN) for Penang candidates in SPM 2022 was 4.60 compared with 4.77 in 2021.
A lower GPN score indicates better candidate achievement.
