Ekaterina Ovchinnikova, a gold medalist from Tolyatti, achieved perfect scores on the Unified State Exam (USE) in Russian language and literature, and excelled in mathematics. She shared her preparation strategies, offering advice to students aiming for similar success.

Ovchinnikova emphasizes the importance of understanding rules and algorithms rather than simply memorizing information. She also recommends balancing studies with hobbies and relaxation to avoid burnout. Dancing, for example, served as a mental break and stress reliever during her rigorous study schedule.

While she attended online school webinars, she credited her success to the support from her teachers. Ovchinnikova advises students to trust their own abilities and focus on consistent hard work, especially in the 11th grade. She believes tutors can be helpful for boosting self-esteem and providing an external perspective.

Ovchinnikova’s daily routine consisted of waking up early, attending school, completing homework, and preparing for the USE. She balanced her academic pursuits with her passion for choreography and occasional family walks.

For literature, she advocates reading extensively and memorizing poems. This helped her apply relevant knowledge to essay questions during the exam. She recalls a moment when lines from a Mikhail Lermontov poem came to her mind during the USE.

Ovchinnikova expressed her preference for the USE over traditional exams. She explains that the USE gives graduates from smaller towns the opportunity to enter prestigious universities. She plans to continue her education at the Samara State Institute of Culture.