Brady Hanna still had some nerves waiting for his NCEA results despite his hard work during the year.
The 18-year-old actually went into his exams with an excellence endorsement to his name but still needed his external passes to get accepted into the university courses he wanted to take.
The Hastings Boys High School dux also needed to pass his three calculus externals so he could study software engineering at Victoria University this year.
"I've been anticipating it for a couple of months. I was relieved because my university application was still pending ... I was pretty sure it would be okay but now it's just one less thing to worry about."
Luckily for Brady and thousands of Hawke's Bay students the wait was over when NCEA results were released yesterday.
Although schools had not received their overall results yet most knew what to expect based on experience and internal results. Some schools even had excited students ringing in.
Brady's principal at Hastings Boys High School Robert Sturch said he was positive about the school's result. He said his students might have been worried but would be feeling relieved today. Some schools, such as Tamatea High School, were as relieved as their students as the results had a "big impact".
Principal Robin Fabish said: "so much of the success of the school is measured on these results".
Napier Boys High School principal Ross Brown said: "the data is eagerly anticipated, it's a reflection of the year's work not only for students but for teachers as well."
Iona College principal Shannon Warren was delighted by the results of Iona students, but also of all the region's students.
Dannevirke High School principal Dawid de Villiers said after a brief look at the results they looked encouraging.
"There is a definite rise in achievements for us", he said. Wairoa College principal Chris Allen was confident their results would be up to five per cent higher after some learning innovations in 2015.
Students were always nervous waiting for their results, said Havelock North High School principal Greg Fenton.
"I'm pretty confident teachers have done a good job and the students have worked hard, we give our kids lots of opportunities and our results reflect that."
Lindisfarne rector Ken MacLeod was expecting similar results to previous years more than 90 per cent pass rates. "There's going to be some outstanding individuals."