London: 16-year-old Pakistani-British Mahnoor Cheema broke a record by clearing 34 GCSE subjects.
Mahnoor took the most UK/EU GCSEs ever. She got A*s in 17 subjects as a private Year 10 candidate. On Thursday, she added 17 subjects to the bag, totalling 34.
Lahore-born Barrister Usman and Tayyaba are Mahnoor Cheema’s parents. They moved to the UK in 2006 to study at Lincoln’s Inn and SOAS, while Mahnoor attended a top Lahore school before entering Langley Grammar School in West London.
Apart from school, Mahnoor’s Mensa IQ Test score of 161 beats Albert Einstein’s 160.
It places her in the top 1% of intellectuals worldwide.
Her ABRSM Music Theory and Practical Grade 8 distinguished.
She is one of the youngest UK music diploma students.
Shortlisted for the John Locke essay competition, she will receive the award in Oxford later this year.
She looks eager to learn beyond GCSEs. Mahnoor loves medicine and wants to help forever.
She achieved 3,290 in the 99th percentile on the UCAT and BMAT at 15 to study medicine at Oxford. Her passion for medicine and exceptional record make her a promising doctor.
Mahnoor’s response
The smart student said, “I’m highly driven. I’ve always knew my dreams would demand hard work, therefore I’ve never given up.”
The student said, “I set a goal and stay focused. I constantly remembered that I was learning for my family and those I wanted to help. In addition, I’ve always handled time.
For three years, I’ve battled to manage school and extracurriculars. I retain material well and love learning, so the workload has never been difficult for me.”
Has she let her lofty goals keep her from living a normal life? No, she says, “I believe in ‘work hard, play hard’. While work is vital, I have hobbies like any other 16-year-old. Concerts, horseback riding, swimming, chess, and family time are my hobbies.
Mahnoor Cheema strives to succeed in all her fields. While her father provided financial support, Mahnoor’s double-masters-degree-holding mother provided rituals and discipline at home.
Reaction of Parents
Parents were pleased of their daughter’s achievements and optimistic in her future.
Barrister Usman thanked his daughter’s Pakistani and British instructors. He said Mahnoor led and worked hard.
Tayyaba said she could have worked in the UK but chose her children. She said she helped Mahnoor with school and extra GCSE courses daily.
She said: “Our daughter’s achievements break a long-held European record as this is the first time a feat like this has ever been accomplished across the UK or EU. We love it.”
Mahnoor passed 34 subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Maths, Economics, Sociology, Psychology, English Literature, Latin, German, French, Classic Civilization, History, Film Studies, and Drama. A decade ago, Pakistani teenager Haroon Tariq established a global record with 47 As in his IGCSE O Level and A Level exams.
Pakistani Ali Moeen Nawazish set a 2009 record with 23 A-Levels.
