Two schoolgirls from Yekaterinburg have achieved a record-breaking feat by scoring the maximum possible points on the Unified State Exam (USE) in both chemistry and Russian language. Maria Kozhemyako from gymnasium No. 9 and Polina Stepanova from SUSC UrFU are the first students in the Sverdlovsk region to earn two perfect scores on the exam.

The accomplishment was announced by the Department of Information Policy of the Sverdlovsk Region. Acting Governor Denis Pasler congratulated the students, noting their aspirations for the future. Maria Kozhemyako intends to pursue a career as a chemist, while Polina Stepanova has plans to study medicine.

Polina Stepanova attributed her success to diligent preparation, supported by her school teachers and tutors. Despite experiencing anxiety on the day of the USE, she remained confident in her abilities. While she hasn’t yet finalized her choice of medical school, she is determined to become a doctor.

This year, the Sverdlovsk region has seen a total of 122 students score 100 points on the USE. Among them are twin sisters Anastasia and Sofia Koroleva from gymnasium No. 104, who each scored a perfect score in literature and Russian, respectively. The number of high-achieving students is expected to increase as results from other subjects are still pending.

The main period of the Unified State Exam is scheduled to conclude on June 23rd. Reserve days, from June 16th to 23rd, are available for graduates who were unable to participate in the main sessions due to valid reasons such as participation in official events, competitions, health issues, or conflicting exam schedules. These reserve days also cater to graduates from previous years seeking to retake the exam.