KEY POINTS:
He may have topped the world in three subjects in the University of Cambridge International Examinations but Arkesh Patel was not glued to the books studying.
The Auckland teenager - who, with 25 other students, was last night given an award to mark his success - said he was "only" aiming to get 90 per cent or more in each of his seven subjects.
Arkesh, 16, not only achieved that but also topped the world in Year 11 history, biology and chemistry - as well as coming first equal locally for English.
"I would say I could have put in much more [study]. I wasn't exactly aiming for this," said the aspiring engineer, who plays tennis and basketball and is in the Westlake Boys High debating team.
Auckland Grammar School student William Zhang also topped the world in more than one subject, coming first in maths and combined science at the Year 11 level, called IGCSE.
The exams are offered by some schools as an alternative to NCEA.
Association of Cambridge Schools in NZ administrator Jan Kerr said about 40 schools offered the exams.
She said that last year about 21,000 subject entries came from New Zealand, with many students sitting more than one subject.
The association's board chairman, John Morris, said the results were fantastic. "We should be extremely proud of these students who have shown they can compete with the rest of the world and come out tops."
The exams are offered in many countries, ranging from Britain, Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia to Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland.
Local students sitting the exams in November sessions would not have been competing with students in most Northern Hemisphere countries, who sit their exams at a different time.
NCEA statistics are expected by the middle of next month.
