Everyone usually forgets about their exam results once they enter the workforce.
Besides the relevant certificates they need to apply for jobs, most people would not look back at the subjects they took in school.
However, Leonard Ong, a 47-year-old private tutor in Singapore, randomly decided one day that he would take on the GCE O-Level examinations for Mathematics — just for the fun of it.
To his surprise, he scored an A2, which is an improvement from when he last took the exam as a teen.
Mr Ong spoke with MS News to share his experience about being the oldest candidate in the exam hall, as well as the motivation behind why he decided to retake the exam.
Mr Ong has been a one-to-one home tutor specialising in English, Science, Mathematics, and Accounting for students up to the O-Level standard for the last two decades.
Image courtesy of Leonard Ong
Of all the subjects he teaches, Mr Ong shared that he is the most confident in Mathematics.
As such, in 2023, he decided to register for the O-Level examinations in that particular subject as a private candidate.
When asked why he made that choice, he simply said: “For the fun of it!”
Preparing for the exam was not too difficult for Mr Ong.
To him, teaching Mathematics to primary and secondary school students over the years was his way of studying.
“By teaching it, I was maintaining and enhancing my knowledge of the subject,” he elaborated.
On the day of the exam itself, Mr Ong stepped into the centre where he was allocated to take his exams — Manjusri Secondary School — with a few other private candidates.
Source: Google Maps
Addressing the elephant in the room, he reckoned that he was probably the oldest candidate in the exam hall.
“I think I am the oldest person in Singapore, or maybe in the world, to have ever taken the O-Level exam,” he quipped. “Who else has ever sat for it — whether for one or more than one subject — at 47 years old?”
In fact, some of the centre’s invigilators thought he was one of them, he revealed. The private tutor had to explain that he was actually there to take the exam as a candidate.
Apparently, it was not just the invigilators who mistook his identity.
“Even other private candidates thought I was an invigilator — some candidates came up to me to ask when we could enter the exam room!” he laughed.
After sitting for the exam, Mr Ong received his results along with the rest of Singapore’s O-Level candidates on Thursday (11 Jan).
To his surprise, he scored an A2.
Image courtesy of Leonard Ong.
“I was expecting an A1, but somehow, I believe with the moderation bell curve, I got an A2 instead. But, an A is still an A,” he shrugged.
He had previously taken his O-Levels back in 1992. At that time, he scored a B3 for the same subject.
“I guess I have been reasonably proficient in Mathematics since I was young,” he added.
When asked if he would retake the O-Levels for his other subjects, Mr Ong confessed that the cost of doing so would be too exorbitant.
Sharing that he paid S$90.95 for Papers One and Two in Mathematics, he surmised that he would have to fork out around S$600 to retake all six subjects.
That being said, the private tutor encourages other teachers and educators to retake the exams for whatever subject they may be teaching from time to time.
This way, not only can they show their commitment to their students, but they can also keep their knowledge up to date.
“To me, if the teacher can score either A1, A2 or B3, that is a good enough sign of their proficiency to teach the subject.”
Also Read: 29-Year-Old Inmate Gets Straight A’s & Tops Prison Cohort For O-Levels, 6 Years Into Her Sentence
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Featured image courtesy of Leonard Ong and adapted from Facebook, for illustration purposes only.
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