German 14-year-old graduates with perfect score
June 26, 2019
Mandy Hoffmann has graduated from high school with a final mark of 1.0 — a perfect score in Germany.
The 14-year-old from the town of Peine in the country's north is one of the youngest pupils ever to achieve the feat.
But in interviews with local newspapers, she says her accomplishment isn't a big deal.
"So when there's this hype now, if anything it bugs me," she told German news agency DPA.
Read more: German high school students decry 'difficult' math tests
Hoffmann's abilities were recognized early on. At the age of seven she was identified as gifted, with an IQ of 142, according to the Peine Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.
She skipped several classes to complete her schooling in just nine years. But Hoffmann says she's an ordinary teenager and wants to be seen as such.
"The other students and teachers treated me like everyone else. Until recently, some teachers didn't know how old I am," she told the Hannoversche Allgemeine newspaper. "Basically, I'm really lazy and always try to achieve a lot with as little effort as possible."
Hoffmann also plays the piano and finds time to do gymnastics training three to four times a week.
Now that she's finished high school, she plans to study maths and chemistry at the nearby Technical University of Braunschweig, starting later this year.
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