KEY POINTS:
Top scholar Thomas Wong coloured his tables and graphs with bright highlighters when he was preparing for exams - and his top study tip certainly paid off.
The 17-year-old yesterday logged on to the Qualifications Authority website to check the scholarship results for the more than 8000 students who sat the tests.
Thomas got five scholarships - including two "outstanding" passes - meaning he was one of 47 students nationally to qualify for a $5000-a-year Outstanding Scholar Award.
The scholarship exams identify the leading academic students and are awarded to about the top 3 per cent of Year 13 students studying Level 3 subjects.
"I had a friend remind me, asking for my results, then I checked online straight away," said Thomas.
While logging on was the fastest way to find out, one of his friends was waiting until the hard copy results notices - also posted yesterday - arrived in his mailbox.
"He prefers opening a letter."
The former Auckland Grammar student said he was up until 2am studying some nights - but not if there was an exam the next day. "If there's not one for about a week, I'll take a little break maybe."
"But I work harder and harder as the exam gets closer," said the part-time tutor. "I am really, really pleased with my results. I would say I worked pretty hard for it."
Thomas said using highlighters, lots of colour and underlining on study notes helped him learn.
"Just to make things better to look at, instead of looking at a black and white page."
He took biology, chemistry, physics, calculus and statistics scholarship tests and had enrolled to study biomedical science at the University of Auckland this year.
In the Auckland region, 784 got scholarships, with 136 obtaining the outstanding mark.
Eight students nationally would get the top award, dubbed the Premier Award, at a ceremony this year.
SCHOLARSHIPS
* More than 8000 students entered scholarship exams last year.
* Only 1951 candidates will get scholarship awards.
* About $2.7 million will be paid out over three years.
Source: NZQA
