Johannesburg – One of the top achieving IEB matric students believes each student should find their own method of studying.

Alexander Furman, who matriculated from King David High School Linksfield with nine distinctions, said his way of preparing for examinations wouldn’t necessarily work for everyone.

"I think the trick is to stay focused. I didn’t really have a method. I would just sit down and do the work," he said.

"The way people learn depends on them. What works for me doesn’t mean other people can do that," he said.

"Basically, I would work smart and not hard," Furman said.

One of his tips was to focus on the core themes and topics first, before delving into the details of the study material.

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For Furman, matric was "not too bad". He bagged distinctions for English, Afrikaans, Mathematics, Life Orientation, Hebrew, History, French, Science, and AP Maths.

Despite his plans for studying electrical or electronic engineering this year, Furman has a love for languages, which kept him balanced and focused on his work.

He said he was "learning languages on the side" because he "enjoyed understanding" other cultures and people, and how they communicated.

During his free time, if he wasn’t busy learning a language, he drew - a hobby he was passionate about.

Speaking before the release of the IEB matric results, Furman said he was reluctant to talk about his expectations, despite achieving honours during the preliminary examinations last year.

He said he planned to find an internship in Israel, while applying to universities abroad where he would be able to pursue a degree in engineering in the 2018/2019 academic year.