I know a guy who started "taking shortcuts" back in high school.

He is the least noticeable in the class, neither good at academics nor good-looking,
and his family is also average. Everyone thinks he will be a standard screw.
But he knows better than anyone that relying on exam scores, he can never beat the true top students.
So he never stubbornly struggles with difficult problems, only focusing on basic points and mid-level questions.
While others stay up late practicing the final questions, he goes to bed on time.