Chapter 6: Set a Small Goal First

Translation made by chatGPT-4

Hearing Liu Yanli's words, everyone felt that the competition was too distant for them.

Even in the recent monthly exam, there were few who could achieve a score of 90% in any subject.

Not to mention the more challenging and comprehensive end-of-term joint exams.

Moreover, apart from the top classes, other classes had just begun a round of review.

It was impossible to complete a comprehensive review before the end of term.

Students had to rely on cramming themselves.

"Competitions? They still seem too far out of reach for me."

For the current Xu You, even with the ability to enter a deep learning state, he couldn't guarantee significant improvement within a month.

Let alone participating in higher-level academic competitions.

If there was more preparation time, Xu You might consider trying.

Xu You felt that in his class, Class Six, only Lu Zhiyao had the potential to compete.

"Although participating in academic competitions could lead to some universities lowering their admission requirements, or even offering direct admission, the chance is almost zero without adequate preparation. Everyone shouldn't worry too much about this. If you're truly interested, go home and discuss it with your parents."

"Lastly, I want to emphasize not to let competitions interfere with your normal preparations for the college entrance exam. The college entrance exam is the main pathway for most students to get into university."

Xu You deeply agreed with Liu Yanli's words and decided to focus on preparing for the end-of-term exams.

After all, the criteria for competition registration were also based on the end-of-term exam results.

If he could make a significant breakthrough in his end-of-term grades, he would then consider the competition.

After discussing these matters, Liu Yanli began the lesson.

For many students, the Chinese class was a time to relax.

Especially after the recent announcement of rankings, everyone was eager to see their specific scores after class.

This meant that most students were not focused on the lesson.

Xu You, however, listened attentively as always, not wasting a minute.

After class, the class monitor posted the rank list on the wall.

Students crowded around to check their specific scores.

Since it was the rank list for the whole grade, it was convenient for everyone to compare their scores with those of other ranks.

Xu You also went to the wall, wanting to see how far behind he was from other students.

First, naturally, was the top scorer—Lu Zhiyao.

[Lu Zhiyao——Grade Rank: 1]

[Chinese: 128]

[Math: 136]

[English: 138]

[Physics: 96]

[Chemistry: 94]

[Biology: 92]

[Total Score: 684]

Such scores made Xu You envious.

Even though the exam's scope was small and the overall difficulty was not high.

But such standards were enough to aim for top universities like Jinghua and Ji University during the college entrance exam.

In the fourth part of the list, Xu You finally found his own position.

[Xu You——Grade Rank: 228]

[Chinese: 114]

[Math: 96]

[English: 117]

[Physics: 61]

[Chemistry: 69]

[Biology: 72]

[Total Score: 529]

Seeing the gap between his and Lu Zhiyao's scores, Xu You felt somewhat hopeless.

Even if Lu Zhiyao scored zero on one subject, she would still have a higher total score than him.

This was the gap between a poor student and a top student!

"No, I shouldn't rush to compare myself with students like Lu Zhiyao."

Xu You knew that surpassing Lu Zhiyao in a recent physics quiz did not reflect his true ability compared to hers.

He must not be misled by temporary illusions.

He should set a realistic goal and work towards it.

Xu You looked at the score for the 100th rank.

"The 100th rank is 590 points. Let's aim for that!"

Improving an average of 10 points per subject within a month would achieve the 100th rank.

Such improvement might seem simple but is actually challenging.

Because the end-of-term joint exam covers the entire high school syllabus.

And since it's taken alongside several key high schools, the difficulty of the exam paper will be much higher.

Xu You thought that to achieve this goal, he must make good use of his 6 hours of deep learning time every day.

"Let's set a rough time plan."

Xu You looked at his scores for each subject.

Firstly, his Chinese and English scores were decent, and there wasn't much room for improvement in the short term.

The main focus should be on the four science subjects: math, physics, chemistry, and biology.

Especially math and physics, where there is significant room for improvement.

Xu You's chemistry and biology scores were relatively better

.

These subjects require memorization, which Xu You was good at.

Math and physics, however, test understanding and application skills.

Merely memorizing won't be very useful.

"I'll study at home for the evening self-study sessions."

According to the rules of No. 4 Middle School, students can apply to study at home in the evenings with their parents' permission.

Using the deep learning state in school could easily attract attention.

It's better to study at home without worrying about drawing attention.

During the evening self-study, Xu You again entered the deep learning state.

Not to solve problems, but to plan for each subject.

Xu You must complete a round of review for all subjects through self-study within this month.

If he only follows the school's pace, he will perform poorly in the end-of-term exam.

After school, Xu You walked home.

His home was close to the school, just a ten-minute walk away, so he didn't need to board and could easily commute.

"Sure enough, no one's home again today."

Xu You turned on the living room lights. The spacious house felt very empty.

He had gotten used to this situation.

Xu You's parents were university professors.

They were often busy with projects and trips and didn't have the energy to manage Xu You's studies.

"Better call Dad."

Compared to his mother, Xu You's father, Xu Zhou, was relatively less busy.

If there was something, Xu You would first contact Xu Zhou.

On the phone, Xu You first mentioned his recent monthly exam results.

Then, he talked about his desire to study at home in the evenings.

"Son, can you explain why you want to study at home in the evenings?"

Xu Zhou was quite laissez-faire in raising his son.

However, he was curious about Xu You's reasoning.

Xu You thought for a moment and replied:

"I want to change my study method. I feel that studying in school during the evening self-study sessions is inefficient, and I end up staying up late at home anyway. It might be worth trying to study at home to see if I can improve my efficiency and get to bed earlier, so I can be in a better state for learning the next day."

(End of Chapter)