Graduate scores 100, 100, 94 on three USE subjects

A graduate of School No. 61 in Tolyatti, Daria Byakova, scored 100 points on the Unified State Exam in Russian, 100 points in Physics, and 94 points in specialized Mathematics. She is now choosing among top Russian universities.

In an interview with a correspondent from TOLYATTY.RU, the girl told how she prepared for exams, relieved stress, where she plans to enroll, and how colored pens help in preparing for the USE.

“Lying in Bed with Books, Eyes Closing”

— Dasha, congratulations on your brilliant result! Tell us, why did you choose Physics, Russian, and specialized Mathematics?

— It all started back in ninth grade, when we took the OGE (Basic State Exam) and I had to gradually decide whether I was more inclined toward humanities or exact sciences. At that time, I took Physics and Social Studies and realized that Physics came easier to me: I have a good feel for the subject and understand it. So choosing Physics for the USE was quite logical.

Computer science, let«s say, does not inspire me, and I preferred Physics paired with specialized Mathematics. I also grasp Mathematics fairly well, but I prepared for it especially carefully — it took the lion»s share of my time and effort.

— How were things with your studies? Were you a straight-A student from first grade?

— Yes, almost all my school years I studied with straight A«s, I accumulated ten certificates of commendation. Studying came easily: I never crammed anything, and my parents didn»t check or help with homework — I handled everything completely on my own. Still, no one would call me a “nerd”: I didn«t sit for days hunched over textbooks and notes. There was always time for friends — we hung out together, had sleepovers — and for dancing. For a long time I did jazz-funk, then switched to high heels dancing.

In tenth grade, I joined a gym. At that time it was almost a trend — everyone suddenly started going to fitness, and I thought: why not, especially since the club was within walking distance from home. My mom and I bought memberships on a promotion and started attending group classes, strength training, and even the pool together. It helped me switch gears and relieve psychological tension. When you study all day without a break, it«s hard, so a breather is essential.

About a month before the exams, I stopped going to the gym: the online school started intensive review courses, and there was no time or energy left for sports. After the USE, I gradually returned to activity — I started doing Pilates and stretching.

I«m also grateful for my family»s support. My mom supported me with little daily phrases and pleasant gestures. She would come into the room, put down cut fruit, say: “Dashenka, I love you” — that was very encouraging. My dad also supported me with words and treated me to goodies. My sister is now studying at Kazan Federal University (KFU), she finished her third year. We called each other occasionally when we both had time, and I complained to her: “Oh, I«m already tired of all this.” Her support helped a lot.

— When did you start preparing purposefully for the USE?

— I took the first steps back in tenth grade: I did assignments, watched webinars, but I didn«t put serious emphasis on the USE. I studied rather to make things easier in eleventh grade: to build a foundation, not to face a huge amount of information from scratch.

In eleventh grade, preparation became more thorough. The first half of the year went relatively calmly: after summer you«re just getting into the rhythm, everything is just beginning. But after the New Year, I realized that the exam was imminent and I needed to go all out — study more, review more actively. I had a specific goal — to get into a state-funded program in St. Petersburg. The competition there is fierce: at the universities I was considering, the passing threshold started at 250 points. Of course, there are lower ones, but those aren»t the universities I was aiming for.

— What did a typical day look like in eleventh grade?

— I woke up about an hour before leaving home. I didn«t even think about makeup or extra preparations — I had no energy, I just wanted to grab extra minutes of sleep. I arrived at school, spent the first two lessons essentially coming to, and by the third lesson my brain would wake up and finally start working at full capacity. After classes, I returned home, had a snack, and immediately sat down for webinars. Often there were three a day, and then I started doing homework.

Sometimes the volume of information was so large that I stayed up late, eventually lying in bed with books, my eyes closing. When I felt I had reached my limit and couldn«t take it anymore, I passed out. Most often that happened well after midnight. Long-term existence in such a mode is a mentally incredibly exhausting ordeal.

How many pens I wore out, how many notebooks! I spent a whole sum on stationery. For math studies, I bought large A4 notebooks with 96 sheets — just in the last six months I accumulated about five. Plus correctors, markers, colored gel pens — all were actively used.

— Do colored pens help in finding solutions to math problems?

— Absolutely. For example, in parameter problems that are often solved graphically, it was much more convenient and even pleasant for me to draw lines, curves, and circles in different shades. That«s more visual than on the exam, where only a black pen is allowed: axes, graphs — everything blends together, and sometimes it»s hard to tell what«s what. On the actual exam, because of this, I was even a bit flustered and worried I»d make a mistake, but in the end I got the maximum score for that task.

In geometry, color also helps — you can highlight additional constructions, emphasize an important segment or part of the drawing to focus on the key element.

— And in physics, what«s more important — knowing formulas or understanding processes?

— Actually, both are important, but the key point is to understand in which situations to apply which formula. The simplest I would call Ohm«s law for a circuit section: current equals voltage divided by resistance, that is I = U / R. And I find it hard to pick the hardest one: for me they are all about the same level.

I spent relatively little time on physics because the subject came easier to me. Math is objectively harder, and the amount of material is noticeably larger. That«s even visible from the number of answer sheets filled out: on the physics USE I usually fill five to six sheets for extended responses, while on math it can easily reach twelve.

— What period was especially tough for you?

— Objectively — in May. There was less and less time until the exam, and suddenly it hit me: you«ve been in school for eleven years, you»re graduating, leaving, becoming an adult. You don«t know how life will turn out, where you»ll be admitted, whether you«ll get a dormitory. If not, what to do? Rent an apartment, live with relatives? Many questions. And they still worry me. A stressful period.

“Even a C-Student Can Get 100 Points on the USE”

— What role did the school play in your preparation? Did they help?

— We regularly wrote practice exams, I could always go up to the teachers, ask questions, clarify unclear points. The math teacher genuinely worried about my result and supported me at all stages. The Russian language teacher was very strict, and that only benefited me: such strictness disciplines you, helps you truly learn the material and firmly consolidate it.

Also, the principal, Andrei Viktorovich Kordik, came when I entered eighth grade, and with his appearance, noticeable changes began: they equipped a sports field, renovated the gym, and, as far as I know, now there are plans to renovate the cafeteria and replace the fence. All this activity inspired us students a lot!

— Honestly, can you get a high USE score relying only on school, without tutors?

— I know examples where graduates prepared exclusively at school and got the maximum 100 points. But honestly, the time spent in lessons from 8 a.m. to about 2 p.m. is not enough for many to achieve a serious result. Even with the greatest desire.

After classes, you still need to continue working: study with a tutor, join online schools, solve practice tests on your own. I am convinced: turning to a tutor is by no means a sign of weakness, inability, or poor school preparation. It is just an assistant on the way to your goal. I myself studied in an online school, attended group classes, watched webinars, bought prep courses…

And I firmly know: even a student who used to get C«s and B»s can get high USE scores if he or she truly gets motivated, sets a clear goal, and starts preparing hard. School grades are not at all an indicator of intelligence. They rather reflect attitude toward learning, and even then at a specific moment. The last two years, and sometimes even just the eleventh grade, as I now understand, can radically change the situation.

“A «Gentleman»s Set« Won»t Cut It”

— What essay topic did you get on the Russian exam?

— The topic was: “What kind of person can be called truly cultured?” The author of the text is Korney Chukovsky. In the essay, we had to show the author«s position, give two examples with explanations, analyze the semantic connection, give my own example, and write a conclusion.

The text told how Chukovsky asked a female student to read aloud to him so he could rest a bit and listen. He chose Gogol«s “Nevsky Prospekt” for her. The girl read absolutely monotonously, without any feeling — she just ran her eyes over the lines. The author himself was sincerely delighted with the text, noting how many “verbal fireworks” there were, what vivid images. He saw all this richness, but the girl remained indifferent, not delving into the content.

The main idea of my essay was that a cultured person is one who is capable of experiencing admiration for art: music, poetry, literature. Such a person has a rich inner world. I especially remembered the phrase that before the girl lay a beautiful multicolored patterned fabric, but to her it seemed gray and monochrome. I used this image in my essay and built the analysis of the semantic connection on contrast: on the one hand, the student«s complete indifference, on the other — Chukovsky»s reverent perception of every artistic device. Thus I managed to show the difference in perception and depth of the spiritual world of two people.

— Was the physics USE difficult?

— When I saw the test materials, I just sat and laughed at how lucky I was! The first part was easy, though I had doubts on a couple of tasks: the wording was a bit strange, unusual. The second part also turned out simple, I worried more about the formatting, to write everything competently, not to make mistakes anywhere, so that they wouldn«t deduct points for carelessness, but in the end everything was fine.

— What was the hardest part on the specialized math exam?

— In specialized math, there is a so-called gentleman«s set: the first part and the second part, which includes seven advanced-level tasks. Among them are a trigonometric equation, an inequality, an economics problem. But for a high score, the “gentleman»s set” is not enough — you need to solve complex problems, for example with parameters.

To cope with such a problem, it«s not enough just to find the roots — you also need to understand how they behave when the parameter changes. And for that, you have to apply several branches of math at once: algebra, properties of functions, and graphs. All this must be combined.

Another important point is formatting. On the USE, they look not only at the answer, but also at how you reason. Every step must be explained, every case considered separately. If you stay silent somewhere or skip a variant, points are deducted immediately. So it«s not just math, but also clarity and attention to detail. I scored 94 — for me, that»s a wonderful result.

“Is This a Dream?”

— How did you find out about your first 100 points? Remember your first reaction.

— The first 100 came in Russian. My parents just screamed with joy, and I screamed too. I never wrote any practice test with 100 points: my max was 94 or so. Before the results, I thought it could be 100, but I knew that much depends on the strictness of the checker. There is a human factor, typos, the computer might misread a digit. Such little things can prevent you from getting a perfect score.

In physics, it was already the second 100. I found out about it when my homeroom teacher called me, and I woke up. Mom had just come into the room to wake me up. They tell me I have 100 points, and I ask: “Is this a dream?” Mom and Dad were very happy, all my relatives called, congratulated, rejoiced, and said they were proud of me.

— Where do you plan to enroll?

— I«m still deciding on programs. I»ve already chosen universities: ITMO University, St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU), and LETI (St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University), all in St. Petersburg. I«m in love with this city, I dream of studying and living there. As for the profession, I»m more inclined toward work related to studying physics, but I don«t rule out going into IT.

— Why St. Petersburg rather than Samara, Kazan, or Moscow?

— The first time I went with my sister to this city in the summer after tenth grade. The second time I was there in eleventh grade, when my friend and I went to the spring school of the Physics Department at SPbSU. Classes lasted until four, and after that we went to the city center, wandered the streets, relaxed, looked into cozy cafes. It gave me a great mental break because studying was non-stop. On this trip, I finally and irrevocably fell in love with St. Petersburg.

— Do you agree with the opinion that the USE is a big stress for students and should be abolished?

— The USE is a mentally extremely difficult ordeal, especially when you«re aiming for a top university. At the same time, it is the most convenient and honest option: imagine if you had to travel around to different cities and take exams at each university separately. Here the task is as clear as can be: prepare, give your all, and write for the maximum. A lot depends on your own attitude, on the belief that you will succeed. It»s just a stage that you have to go through with the thought: “I did everything I could.”