KOTA KINABALU, Asking questions on topics that he could not fully grasp is his secret to achieving the 4.00 grade point average in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examination, Mohd Aidil Sulong, 20, revealed. The student of the Form Six Centre at Maktab Sabah, who is among the 130 students who managed to achieve the perfect grade in the examination, said students should not keep quiet when they do not understand any subject. 'I would be fully focused during class and ask questions. I would not allow myself to be in a situation where I do not understand the lessons,' he told Bernama after the announcement of the STPM results at the Sixth Form College here today. Mohd Aidil said the patience shown by his teachers inspired him to become an educator. Fellow scorer Hanifizwan Kamaruddin, 20, of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Balung in Tawau, said staying focused during lessons and studying from 8 pm until midnight is the key to his outstanding results. 'I've always wanted to become a teacher and now I hope I can enter Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) or Universiti Malaya (UM),' he added. Meanwhile, Athirah Aidil Sulong, 20, a student at the Form Six Centre at Maktab Sabah who has set her sight on pursuing a law degree in UM, said balancing her time between co-curricular activities and studies was crucial to achieving her goals as well as waking up as early as 3.30 am to study. Khairi Syed Alie, 20, of SMK Balung, on the other hand, said he only spent between 30 and 45 minutes studying daily. Hoping to become an expert in economics, Khairi said living in the hostel helped motivate him to study in groups. Source: BERNAMA News Agency