Top place no sweat after a short swot

Rosie Grant. Photo / Supplied

It takes most students a year of learning in class, and countless hours of study at home to pass a subject - but top scholar Rosie Grant needed only five days to ace general science.

The former Diocesan student has been named the top scholar of Scholarship General Science for last year - a feat even more remarkable as she did not take it as one of her five Year 13 subjects last year.

Instead, she spent her year studying chemistry, biology, physics, statistics and English - subjects required for the health sciences she is now studying at Otago University.

It was only towards the end of the year when she started thinking about scholarship exams that she decided to try her luck with an extra subject.

"I knew general science was not a popular scholarship subject so I thought I'd give it a try," she said.

After sitting her other exams she spent five days before the general science exam trying to learn a year's worth of work from a borrowed textbook - a feat which she not only managed but clearly mastered.

Now she has been named top of the subject after beating 226 other students from around the country.

"I was quite surprised because I found the exam quite challenging, so I didn't expect to get scholarship in it at all - I was very surprised."

General science incorporates the three sciences she studied at school, but also had geology and astronomy and applications of science technology.

Miss Grant said general science topics included a lot more "real world examples" of how people use the sciences, instead of just the theory behind them.

She spent about six hours studying over five days before sitting the exam. She also looked at old papers and knew she was "going to find it hard" because she hadn't spent a whole year on it.

In total Miss Grant received five scholarships, including three outstanding and the top scholarship in general science - all of which are worth $15,000.

She is also one of eight students to win $4000 scholarships from the NZ Education and Scholarship Trust and have received a $5000 Otago University Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship.

This year, the 18-year-old student said she was "sticking to the assigned course".

"I'm finding it quite a big workload as it is so I'm glad I'm not doing anything extra."

NZ Qualifications Authority deputy chief executive in charge of qualifications, Bali Haque described Miss Grant as an "outstanding science student" who had shown high-level critical thinking and an ability to apply knowledge to complex situations.