Scoring a perfect 45 in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is statistical madness. Out of more than 200,000 students globally who sat for the May 2026 exams, only a microscopic fraction managed to nail top marks in every single subject while securing maximum points in the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge.
When the May 2026 IBDP results came out, Greenwood High International School in Bengaluru pulled off something that most international schools can only dream of. They produced two world toppers who achieved the elusive 45/45 mark. Amisha Sharma, the outgoing school captain, and Varun Vasudevan Iyer, the outgoing vice captain, both hit the absolute ceiling of the curriculum.
If you think this is just about memorizing textbooks or spending 16 hours a day locked in a room, you're dead wrong. The IBDP doesn't work that way. Let's look at what it actually takes to conquer this curriculum and what these top performers did differently.
Inside the Numbers of the May 2026 Results
The scale of this achievement becomes obvious when you look at the wider Indian context. For the May 2026 session, 6,265 students across India received their DP and CP results. The country's average diploma score came in at 32.78 points. While that is comfortably above the global historic average, it shows just how massive the gap is between a solid pass and a perfect 45.
At Greenwood High, the success wasn't just limited to the two world toppers. The institution saw 36% of its entire graduating Class of 2026 score 40 points or above. To put that in perspective, a score of 40-plus is typically the entry threshold for elite global universities like Oxford, Cambridge, and the Ivy League.
The tier right below the top spot was just as crowded. Three students from the school—Anvita Reddy Guddeti, Nidhi Mittal, and Sanay Sridhar—missed perfection by a single point, finishing with 44. Seven other students scored 43 points, cementing a collective academic performance that secured the batch over USD 8 million in total scholarship offers.
The Strategy Behind a Perfect 45
Most people assume that hitting a 45 requires an obsessive, unhealthy relationship with studying. Varun Vasudevan Iyer completely breaks that stereotype.
"Honestly, it's a strange mix of shock and quiet confidence, because I never put in the long hours of studying most people associate with getting a 45," Varun noted after the results.
Instead of brute-force cramming, his preparation relied heavily on raw data and systematic feedback loops. Here is how it actually worked:
- Conceptual mastery over memorization: The IB curriculum tests your ability to apply knowledge to unfamiliar scenarios. If you don't understand the underlying core mechanics, you fail.
- Post-assessment data reviews: Every single time Varun completed a mock exam or an assignment, he ran a diagnostic check on his own performance. He looked at the data, identified the precise gaps in his argumentation or methodology, and targeted those exact weaknesses before the next attempt.
- Leveraging structured curiosity: Treating subjects as areas of active interest rather than tasks to clear makes the intense workload manageable over a two-year cycle.
Amisha Sharma, who balanced these academic pressures while acting as the school captain, emphasized a different pillar of success: the support architecture. Maintaining consistent discipline over two years is mentally draining. Without a tight ecosystem of parents, teachers, and peers holding you accountable and absorbing the stress, the wheels usually fall off.
Where the Toppers Are Heading Next
A perfect score isn't just a trophy for the mantelpiece; it's leverage. The global higher education landscape recognizes the sheer difficulty of the IBDP, and the destination list for this year's batch proves it.
Amisha Sharma is moving to the US to pursue Public Policy and Data Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It's a combination that mirrors her dual background in student leadership and academic analysis. Varun Vasudevan Iyer is heading to the University of California, Berkeley, to study pure Mathematics—a destination well-suited for someone who hacked his exam prep using systematic data reviews.
Other students from the graduating batch have accepted offers from Dartmouth College, Brown University, Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, and the London School of Economics.
The Institutional Framework
You can't talk about individual success without looking at the school's framework. According to Mrs. Niru Agarwal, the Vice Chairperson and Managing Trustee of Greenwood High, the results stem from a sustained academic framework and direct faculty mentorship.
In programs like the IB, teachers act more like thesis advisors than traditional instructors. Because a massive portion of the final grade relies on Internal Assessments (IAs) and a 4,000-word Extended Essay, a student needs mentors who understand how to guide original research without over-stepping. When a faculty successfully balances high expectations with non-judgmental guidance, students are more willing to take academic risks.
How to Apply These Insights to Your Own Studies
If you are an upcoming IB student or dealing with any rigorous pre-university curriculum, stop trying to copy the habits of people who just boast about their study hours. Focus on what actually yields results.
First, build an error log. Every time you lose points, don't just look at the grade and flip the page. Write down exactly why you lost the mark. Was it a conceptual error, a misinterpretation of the prompt, or a silly execution mistake? Track it over time to see your patterns.
Second, pick your internal research topics early. Don't leave your Extended Essay or your Theory of Knowledge essay until the final term. The students who thrive are the ones who get their heavy lifting out of the way before the final examination crunch begins.
Greenwood High Graduation Ceremony – IB Diploma Programme, Class of 2026.
This video coverage highlights the graduation ceremony of the exact Class of 2026 batch discussed in this article, showcasing the community, student experiences, and institutional culture that fostered these world-topping academic results.
