The secret behind my success, UTME’s authentic highest scorer speaks

16-year-old Deeper Life High School pupil, Kamsiyochukwu Chinyere Umeh, has narrated how she studied to pass the recently concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). She revealed that she had no plans of emerging the highest scorer in the federation. She only read to pass with good grades in order to help her further her education to tertiary level.

In this interview with Daily trust, Umeh, who scored 360, narrated the roles played by her parents, teachers and how often she read.

Can we meet you?

My name is Kamsiyochukwu Nkechinyere Umeh

How old are you?

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I am 16 years old

What strategy did you use in achieving this great feat?

When I went home, I focused on revising the past questions, using the series I had. My parents also encouraged me.

Is this your first attempt at JAMB?

Yes it is.

Did you at any point envision yourself to be the highest scorer in UTME this year?

Everybody wants to be the best. However, I was not particularly aiming to be the best.

How do you read?

I read during the times that the school scheduled for us to read and also read during the night when I get back to the hostel.

How many hours do you read per day?

I read for as many hours as I have.

How do you feel about this great feat you have achieved?

I feel very excited and I am elated and grateful to God and to everybody, my supporters and encouragers.

Was there any point when you became scared while preparing for the exams?

When I became an SS3 student and I was fully intimated about the UTME, I was a bit scared because I felt I wasn’t ready to write it. My first contact with the exam was with the past questions the school provided to us. I became more afraid than I was initially because the questions looked so difficult and I kept asking how I was going to pass.

I continued reading, our teachers drilled us and most importantly, we prayed. We prayed all the time, and fasted too sometimes. Our teachers also gave us lots of tests, we had times for JAMB classes and Mock exams too.

How did you feel the night before the exam and during the exam?

The night before the exam, I felt nervous. I told myself that the exam was already here and I was going to face it the next day. That night, our senior school principal prayed with us and I felt a sense of calm come over me. I told myself that it was God telling me not to worry about the exam.

When I got into the exam hall and saw the questions, I was so happy. Throughout the exam I was just thanking God, because the questions were a lot easier than I imagined. All of us were happy because we were sure we conquered the exam.

What course would you like to study in the university?

I’d like to study Chemical Engineering in University of Lagos.

What advice do you have for other students?

I’d advice other students to start preparing early and be determined, trust in God and pray.