Egypt’s Top Science Student Says He Did Not Use Exam Reference Booklet

Abdullah Mahmoud, the top-ranked student in the science stream of Egypt’s Thanaweya Amma secondary school exams, said he did not use the concepts booklet during his exams because he had prepared well.

His comments came amid criticism on Facebook over whether the booklet was useful to students sitting the exams.

Mahmoud attributed his decision not to consult the booklet to having studied thoroughly. His account describes his own exam experience rather than an assessment of the booklet’s value for all students.

The remarks add a high-achieving student’s perspective to the debate, but do not establish whether other candidates found the reference material helpful.