On Wednesday, high school students who sat scholarship exams at the end of last year, found their results on the NZQA website. By now, all students will have their results by mail too.

Scholarship exams are for the top students in schools. They are extra exams which students can choose to sit. About one third of Year 13 students usually choose to sit scholarship in one or more subjects. Scholarship tests higher level thinking skills, not just memorising. Students have to show they can use their knowledge for complex situations. Only 3% of Year 13 students gain a scholarship. This gives them $500.

Outstanding scholarships are given only to the top 0.4% in each subject. Any student who gets an outstanding scholarship is given $2,000 for their study in a New Zealand university. A very few students get more than one outstanding scholarship. Premier scholarships go to any student who has three or more outstanding scholarships. Students with a premier scholarship get $10,000 for three years to study in a New Zealand university.

Last year eight students won a premier scholarship. It was interesting that these eight students came from a range of high schools: two were from a private school while the other six came from public schools in both cities and small towns. This shows that students can do well in most schools in New Zealand.