The anxious wait is now over for Rotorua students who have been waiting to find out their NCEA results, which were made available on the NZQA website this morning.
For one Rotorua Girls' High School student who was Year 13 last year, the results have made her happy and proud of her work.
Xianar Pike, 18, said she had been both super nervous and excited before finding out her Level 3 results.
She gained an excellence endorsement overall for Level 3 and got excellence for her three portfolio subjects.
Xianar said design and photography teacher Bryony Edwards and design and visual communications teacher Melissa Magatogia were two of the most inspiring teachers who helped her reach this point.
"Mrs Edwards called me straight away to congratulate me and was literally on the verge of tears, super happy as she has never had a student gain double excellences in both of her subjects in her teaching life."
These results have meant she will receive a $10,000 Sir Edmund Hillary scholarship which will go toward her university studies.
"When I found out I was so happy because it meant I had the scholarship in the bag."
Xianar said she would attend Waikato University this year to study a Bachelor in Computer Graphic Design.
She said she also wanted to do some architecture or spacial design study.
She said Waikato University also offered an academic excellence scholarship and if you got Level 3 endorsed with excellence you automatically received $5000.
"I'm just overwhelmed and so proud of myself. After all the hard work it all paid off and I'm just super stoked."
Xianar's tips for students going through exams later this year was to not stress yourself out too much, have goals and aim high.
Xianar's mother, Trish Pike, said she was so proud of her daughter and that she had worked very hard with many late nights.
She said her and Xianar were both jumping up and down when they found out the results.
John Paul College principal Patrick Walsh said historically the last few years they had got a nearly 100 per cent pass rate for all NCEA levels.
He said the vast majority of their students had also already had NCEA going into the exams, so they would anticipate getting good exam results too.
"A lot of preparation has gone into it with the students and teachers."
Mr Walsh said waiting for the results was a stressful and anxious time for students, particularly for those seeking to get excellence and endorsements.
He said he thought NZQA was doing an excellent job getting all the exams marked and the marks put online, as "thousands and thousands" of students sat them.
Careers New Zealand principal advisor Pat Cody said it could be an emotional and confronting time for teens, particularly school leavers.
"For many students, results will confirm study or career pathways, but some will receive results that may be disappointing or unexpected - requiring some further thinking about their future careers."