Chapter 21: So You're the Most Formidable One at No. 4 Middle School

At 9 o'clock, the exam officially began.

Xu You did not activate deep learning mode and began answering the questions in a normal state.

The first part consisted of five multiple-choice questions.

To increase the difficulty, the multiple-choice questions in the Physics Competition allowed for multiple answers, meaning a question could require selecting either one or multiple correct answers.

A completely correct answer to a question would earn a full score of 6 points.

If an option was omitted, 3 points could still be earned.

However, choosing a wrong option meant scoring no points at all.

Some students, to be safe, would not choose any options they were unsure about.

They even treated all questions as if they were single-choice.

But this was not a dilemma for Xu You.

"The first question can be solved by analyzing the forces on a ladder, choose B."

"The second question is a mechanics problem, involving the composition of forces, only C is correct."

"The third question, a kinematics graph problem, even Dong Chao wouldn't get it wrong, CD."

Xu You answered the initial questions quite smoothly.

In fact, the difficulty of the preliminary round was manageable, covering a lot of high school physics knowledge and some university-level concepts.

Soon, Xu You had completed both the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank sections.

Looking at the time, only half an hour had passed.

The remaining part, however, was the most crucial—

The computational problems.

The entire 200-point paper had computational problems making up as much as 120 points.

Effectively, being able to solve these computational problems was key to advancing to the next round.

The six computational problems mainly covered electromagnetism, mechanics, kinematics, and optics.

Each question was more difficult than those found in the national college entrance examination, or Gaokao.

They also involved some advanced mathematical concepts.

For some students who had not thoroughly prepared for the Physics Olympiad, the difficulty was immense.

Students who could normally score over 90 in physics now found themselves in deep trouble.

They could manage some of the earlier multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions.

But the later, more complex questions were bewildering.

Students began to give up and handed in their largely blank papers.

After leaving the examination room, complaints started to emerge.

"Damn, I couldn't decide on the first question, whether to choose C or D?"

"I treated all the multiple-choice questions as single-choice, at least I could get the 3 points for the ones I missed."

"I was only sure about one kinematics graph question; what's with the rest? Half of them were about electromagnetism."

"Yeah, usually solving one electromagnetism problem in a test is challenging enough, let alone six. Just looking at them gave me a headache."

Before the exam was over, less than half of the students remained in the classroom.

Most students participated with a casual attitude, with only a few truly aiming for awards.

"Phew, finally done."

With half an hour left to the end of the exam, Xu You finished solving the last question.

Xu You let out a sigh of relief; this paper was quite satisfying for him.

Being able to complete it in two and a half hours under normal conditions was also a breakthrough for him.

After all, just the six computational problems would be considered above the level of the Gaokao.

But Xu You didn't rush to submit his paper.

He couldn't be certain all his answers were correct.

Seeing there was still time left, Xu You began to review his answers.

He submitted his paper on time as the bell rang.

Exiting the examination hall, Xu You saw Hu Shucheng waiting at the exit.

After submitting his paper early, Hu Shucheng had been waiting for Xu You.

In Hu Shucheng's eyes, Xu You was the only Physics Olympiad participant from No. 4 Middle School worth his attention.

Seeing Xu You, Hu Shucheng hurriedly said, "Damn, Xu You, why are you only coming out now? This isn't like you. I've been waiting for over half an hour, hurry, while the answers are still fresh in your mind, let's compare them."

"I was checking my answers, so I didn't submit early."

"Ah, it's just the preliminary round, answering casually is enough, we're sure to advance with our level."

Actually, without entering deep learning mode, Xu You's answering speed was not as fast as Hu Shucheng's.

While their memories were still clear, the two began to compare their answers.

"Choice: B, C, CD, CD, D. Exactly the same."

"Fill-in-the-blank: First question, 1.2, 2.0. Second question, lower than, the sign and magnitude remain unchanged..."

As they compared, they found that, aside from a few minor disagreements, most of their answers were identical.

Because the

 computational problems could have partial credit for certain steps, it was hard to accurately predict scores.

Considering possible deductions for steps in the computational problems, both of them would likely score at least 180 points.

"Normally, scoring 120 points should be enough to advance to the semifinals. The semifinals are definitely in the bag. There are two weeks left, let's prepare fully for the semifinals."

Hu Shucheng was not surprised by this, as both were aiming for the national team.

If they couldn't score near-perfect marks in the preliminaries, there would be no talking about the national team.

As they walked and talked, Hu Shucheng suddenly remembered Lu Zhiyao.

"Hey, Xu You, that Lu Zhiyao from your class, she didn't come for the exam, right?"

Xu You then realized he hadn't seen Lu Zhiyao today.

Since the citywide preliminary was held in one location, and even Hu Shucheng, who had been waiting at the exam hall entrance, hadn't seen Lu Zhiyao, it was likely she truly had given up.

"Her willingness to participate in the competition was not high to begin with, similar to me who only started preparing recently. It's normal for her to give up."

In fact, Lu Zhiyao had stopped attending the Physics Olympiad crash course at No. 4 Middle School.

Xu You had thought Lu Zhiyao was self-studying, but now it seemed she had indeed given up.

"I originally thought Lu Zhiyao was the most formidable in No. 4 Middle School. It seems I was wrong. Compared to you, she still lacks a bit."

"Perhaps she feels that the college entrance examination is more suitable for her. After all, Lu Zhiyao is the top student in No. 4 Middle School, most likely to get into Qingbei through the exam."

"Right, that makes sense. For someone like me with little hope in the college entrance exam, I put all my hopes on the competition."

If Hu Shucheng were to take the normal college entrance exam, he might only get into a 985 university, still a significant gap from Qingbei.

"By the way, Xu You, if we can't get into Qingbei, do you have any other plans?"

"Um... I haven't thought that much about it yet."

For the Xu You of the past, even getting into a 211 university was a stretch, let alone dreaming of a 985 university.

But to Hu Shucheng, this sounded different.

"Damn, you must have your sights set on Qingbei already. Actually, the National Defense Science and Technology Universities aren't bad either. If you're interested in applications, some specialties might be even better than Qingbei."

Xu You nodded in agreement.

Indeed, for those interested in aerospace, aeronautics, or military industries, Qingbei might not be the best choice.

(End of Chapter)