How much did Tom Riddle study?












7














We know that he was very talented but he was also hardworking since even Dumbledore mentioned him being one of the best students in Hogwarts history. This would basically mean that he got the best grades in at least 10 O.W.L.'s (if not all of them) while being prefect and Head Boy. He also explored dark magic at the time and by the end of his schooling he knew almost all areas of magic to the same point as professionals did. How could he manage all that? Did he spend most of his time in the library or what?










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  • 2




    I am not sure how this is supposed to be answered, as I don't recall any of the books telling us. Your best bet would be a quote from JKR.
    – James Douglas
    22 hours ago












  • I might have missed something from the books or movies but all in all estimates would do.
    – earthquakest
    22 hours ago






  • 1




    I'm guessing the answer is "lots"
    – Valorum
    22 hours ago






  • 3




    @JamesDouglas Random guesses would be voted down, true, but there's nothing wrong with estimates based on evidence.
    – Rand al'Thor
    19 hours ago






  • 3




    Maybe he just schemed with his friends, missed the Hogwarts Express half the time, and was competent at Quidditch? That seems to work for some people...
    – Harper
    15 hours ago


















7














We know that he was very talented but he was also hardworking since even Dumbledore mentioned him being one of the best students in Hogwarts history. This would basically mean that he got the best grades in at least 10 O.W.L.'s (if not all of them) while being prefect and Head Boy. He also explored dark magic at the time and by the end of his schooling he knew almost all areas of magic to the same point as professionals did. How could he manage all that? Did he spend most of his time in the library or what?










share|improve this question









New contributor




earthquakest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 2




    I am not sure how this is supposed to be answered, as I don't recall any of the books telling us. Your best bet would be a quote from JKR.
    – James Douglas
    22 hours ago












  • I might have missed something from the books or movies but all in all estimates would do.
    – earthquakest
    22 hours ago






  • 1




    I'm guessing the answer is "lots"
    – Valorum
    22 hours ago






  • 3




    @JamesDouglas Random guesses would be voted down, true, but there's nothing wrong with estimates based on evidence.
    – Rand al'Thor
    19 hours ago






  • 3




    Maybe he just schemed with his friends, missed the Hogwarts Express half the time, and was competent at Quidditch? That seems to work for some people...
    – Harper
    15 hours ago
















7












7








7







We know that he was very talented but he was also hardworking since even Dumbledore mentioned him being one of the best students in Hogwarts history. This would basically mean that he got the best grades in at least 10 O.W.L.'s (if not all of them) while being prefect and Head Boy. He also explored dark magic at the time and by the end of his schooling he knew almost all areas of magic to the same point as professionals did. How could he manage all that? Did he spend most of his time in the library or what?










share|improve this question









New contributor




earthquakest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











We know that he was very talented but he was also hardworking since even Dumbledore mentioned him being one of the best students in Hogwarts history. This would basically mean that he got the best grades in at least 10 O.W.L.'s (if not all of them) while being prefect and Head Boy. He also explored dark magic at the time and by the end of his schooling he knew almost all areas of magic to the same point as professionals did. How could he manage all that? Did he spend most of his time in the library or what?







harry-potter voldemort






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New contributor




earthquakest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









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Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 10 hours ago









Bellatrix

69.8k12311353




69.8k12311353






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asked 22 hours ago









earthquakest

383




383




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earthquakest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






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Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 2




    I am not sure how this is supposed to be answered, as I don't recall any of the books telling us. Your best bet would be a quote from JKR.
    – James Douglas
    22 hours ago












  • I might have missed something from the books or movies but all in all estimates would do.
    – earthquakest
    22 hours ago






  • 1




    I'm guessing the answer is "lots"
    – Valorum
    22 hours ago






  • 3




    @JamesDouglas Random guesses would be voted down, true, but there's nothing wrong with estimates based on evidence.
    – Rand al'Thor
    19 hours ago






  • 3




    Maybe he just schemed with his friends, missed the Hogwarts Express half the time, and was competent at Quidditch? That seems to work for some people...
    – Harper
    15 hours ago
















  • 2




    I am not sure how this is supposed to be answered, as I don't recall any of the books telling us. Your best bet would be a quote from JKR.
    – James Douglas
    22 hours ago












  • I might have missed something from the books or movies but all in all estimates would do.
    – earthquakest
    22 hours ago






  • 1




    I'm guessing the answer is "lots"
    – Valorum
    22 hours ago






  • 3




    @JamesDouglas Random guesses would be voted down, true, but there's nothing wrong with estimates based on evidence.
    – Rand al'Thor
    19 hours ago






  • 3




    Maybe he just schemed with his friends, missed the Hogwarts Express half the time, and was competent at Quidditch? That seems to work for some people...
    – Harper
    15 hours ago










2




2




I am not sure how this is supposed to be answered, as I don't recall any of the books telling us. Your best bet would be a quote from JKR.
– James Douglas
22 hours ago






I am not sure how this is supposed to be answered, as I don't recall any of the books telling us. Your best bet would be a quote from JKR.
– James Douglas
22 hours ago














I might have missed something from the books or movies but all in all estimates would do.
– earthquakest
22 hours ago




I might have missed something from the books or movies but all in all estimates would do.
– earthquakest
22 hours ago




1




1




I'm guessing the answer is "lots"
– Valorum
22 hours ago




I'm guessing the answer is "lots"
– Valorum
22 hours ago




3




3




@JamesDouglas Random guesses would be voted down, true, but there's nothing wrong with estimates based on evidence.
– Rand al'Thor
19 hours ago




@JamesDouglas Random guesses would be voted down, true, but there's nothing wrong with estimates based on evidence.
– Rand al'Thor
19 hours ago




3




3




Maybe he just schemed with his friends, missed the Hogwarts Express half the time, and was competent at Quidditch? That seems to work for some people...
– Harper
15 hours ago






Maybe he just schemed with his friends, missed the Hogwarts Express half the time, and was competent at Quidditch? That seems to work for some people...
– Harper
15 hours ago












3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















15














Most likely, Tom had studied a lot.



It’s very likely Tom studied a lot while he was at Hogwarts. He was described as being thirsty for knowledge, which implies that not only was he naturally talented, he also worked at gaining more knowledge.




“As an unusually talented and very good-looking orphan, he naturally drew attention and sympathy from the staff almost from the moment of his arrival. He seemed polite, quiet and thirsty for knowledge. Nearly all were most favourably impressed by him.”
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 17 (A Sluggish Memory)




He had gotten top grades in every examination he’d taken, which is further evidence that he was a dedicated student.




“He reached the seventh year of his schooling with, as you might have expected, top grades in every examination he had taken. All around him, his classmates were deciding which jobs they were to pursue once they had left Hogwarts. Nearly everybody expected spectacular things from Tom Riddle, prefect, Head Boy, winner of the Special Award for Services to the School.”
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 20 (Lord Voldemort’s Request)




Tom also said he was trusted because he was a model student.




“It was my word against Hagrid’s, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school Prefect, model student; on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls.”
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 17 (The Heir of Slytherin)




From what we know of Tom’s achievements, and how his teachers and peers perceived him, he almost certainly studied heavily.






share|improve this answer

















  • 3




    Note that, if a naturally talented wizard, Tom might not have needed to study hard to get good grades, but that would simply allow him to study beyond the curriculum (for instances, horcruxes).
    – RDFozz
    15 hours ago










  • @RDFozz True - that’s why it’s only one point of my answer and I open it with him seeming thirsty for knowledge. That he was known to seek out knowledge implies he studied as well as was naturally talented.
    – Bellatrix
    15 hours ago





















3














I believe that examples from real life can shed some light on this.



As you will certainly remember from school, there are few children who struggle to learn even the basics of whatever is being taught to them, and a few students who very quickly master everything the teachers have prepared for them (when I was in school the latter group were called "brains"), with the vast majority of students falling somewhere between these two extremes. Some students in the latter group grasp things so quickly that they hardly need to study at all.



I myself taught computer literacy at the local high school (a mixed class—90% ninth graders and ten percent apes), and there was a marked disparity of ability. Some students took three days to complete an assignment that other students could knock off in half a class period.



In the books, Dumbledore clearly states—in Chamber of Secrets and Half-blood Prince—that Tom Riddle was at the top end of the scale during his Hogwarts years. Remember also that he had been making use of his magical abilities, without any schooling, prior to his attendance; the practice seems to have done him well.



Aside from what we might call native ability, there is the desire to learn. A lot of children in real-life schools regard their time there as something to be endured, and the knowledge taught there as a bunch of junk with no practical value. (Insert your favorite meme about not using algebra today, here.) Once the tests are passed, these students appear to evict the unwanted knowledge from their heads. But there are a handful of kids who take a genuine interest in the topic (yes, even with the stuff the rest of us find boring) and approach the topic with the intent to thoroughly understand it.



In the case of Hogwarts, we can see that Ron is an example of someone for whom schooling is a form of mild torment, whereas Riddle and Hermione clearly showed up with the intention to learn; in Sorcerer's Stone we learn that Hermione has already read every word of her school books, and in Half-blood Prince we are told that Riddle was sorted into Slytherin the moment the Sorting Hat touched his head.



And as any adult will tell you, there can be a lot of overlap between the bright students and the ambitious ones, and the result is a model student. They have talent, so everything comes easier, and they have ambition, so they put more effort into it.



It doesn't take a canon source to see how Riddle was pushing the known bounds of magic even during his time at school. If he learned everything in half the time it took other students to learn—a completely realistic assumption—he had plenty of time for other things.






share|improve this answer

















  • 3




    I know you're trying to keep the writing in this answer interesting, but could you possibly rephrase the "10% apes" bit? You probably didn't mean it racially, but its vague enough that some folks are likely to take it that way (and worse, do so happily as part of their worldview).
    – T.E.D.
    12 hours ago










  • calling students apes doesn't seem nice to me. please consider editing
    – aaaaaa
    4 hours ago



















2















Riddle described the way he was seen as "poor, but brilliant, parent-less, but so brave, a school prefect, a model student."



Harry Potter wikia, Tom Riddle, Hogwarts years (1938-1945)




This shows us that he did well enough to become a Prefect;




"When I first met young Mr Riddle, he was a quiet albeit brilliant
boy, committed to becoming a first rate wizard. Not unlike others I've
known. Not unlike yourself. If the monster existed it was buried deep
within."

—Horace Slughorn regarding his first experiences with Tom Riddle




This shows us he was absolutely committed to doing well.






share|improve this answer























  • Firstly, they primary source would be better than a secondary one i.e. get the book quote. Secondly, can you use quote markdown for quotes? i.e. > at the beginning of the paragraph. Thirdly, when quoting a link it is best to describe in your own words how it answers the question rather than relying 100% on the link. Lastly, I'm not too sure how this actually answers the question of how much he studied.
    – TheLethalCarrot
    22 hours ago






  • 5




    Ron did well enough to become a Prefect, so it's not necessarily an indicator of academic excellence.
    – Anthony Grist
    21 hours ago










  • @AnthonyGrist Oh right, I forgot that...
    – James Douglas
    1 hour ago











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3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes








3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









15














Most likely, Tom had studied a lot.



It’s very likely Tom studied a lot while he was at Hogwarts. He was described as being thirsty for knowledge, which implies that not only was he naturally talented, he also worked at gaining more knowledge.




“As an unusually talented and very good-looking orphan, he naturally drew attention and sympathy from the staff almost from the moment of his arrival. He seemed polite, quiet and thirsty for knowledge. Nearly all were most favourably impressed by him.”
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 17 (A Sluggish Memory)




He had gotten top grades in every examination he’d taken, which is further evidence that he was a dedicated student.




“He reached the seventh year of his schooling with, as you might have expected, top grades in every examination he had taken. All around him, his classmates were deciding which jobs they were to pursue once they had left Hogwarts. Nearly everybody expected spectacular things from Tom Riddle, prefect, Head Boy, winner of the Special Award for Services to the School.”
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 20 (Lord Voldemort’s Request)




Tom also said he was trusted because he was a model student.




“It was my word against Hagrid’s, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school Prefect, model student; on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls.”
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 17 (The Heir of Slytherin)




From what we know of Tom’s achievements, and how his teachers and peers perceived him, he almost certainly studied heavily.






share|improve this answer

















  • 3




    Note that, if a naturally talented wizard, Tom might not have needed to study hard to get good grades, but that would simply allow him to study beyond the curriculum (for instances, horcruxes).
    – RDFozz
    15 hours ago










  • @RDFozz True - that’s why it’s only one point of my answer and I open it with him seeming thirsty for knowledge. That he was known to seek out knowledge implies he studied as well as was naturally talented.
    – Bellatrix
    15 hours ago


















15














Most likely, Tom had studied a lot.



It’s very likely Tom studied a lot while he was at Hogwarts. He was described as being thirsty for knowledge, which implies that not only was he naturally talented, he also worked at gaining more knowledge.




“As an unusually talented and very good-looking orphan, he naturally drew attention and sympathy from the staff almost from the moment of his arrival. He seemed polite, quiet and thirsty for knowledge. Nearly all were most favourably impressed by him.”
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 17 (A Sluggish Memory)




He had gotten top grades in every examination he’d taken, which is further evidence that he was a dedicated student.




“He reached the seventh year of his schooling with, as you might have expected, top grades in every examination he had taken. All around him, his classmates were deciding which jobs they were to pursue once they had left Hogwarts. Nearly everybody expected spectacular things from Tom Riddle, prefect, Head Boy, winner of the Special Award for Services to the School.”
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 20 (Lord Voldemort’s Request)




Tom also said he was trusted because he was a model student.




“It was my word against Hagrid’s, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school Prefect, model student; on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls.”
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 17 (The Heir of Slytherin)




From what we know of Tom’s achievements, and how his teachers and peers perceived him, he almost certainly studied heavily.






share|improve this answer

















  • 3




    Note that, if a naturally talented wizard, Tom might not have needed to study hard to get good grades, but that would simply allow him to study beyond the curriculum (for instances, horcruxes).
    – RDFozz
    15 hours ago










  • @RDFozz True - that’s why it’s only one point of my answer and I open it with him seeming thirsty for knowledge. That he was known to seek out knowledge implies he studied as well as was naturally talented.
    – Bellatrix
    15 hours ago
















15












15








15






Most likely, Tom had studied a lot.



It’s very likely Tom studied a lot while he was at Hogwarts. He was described as being thirsty for knowledge, which implies that not only was he naturally talented, he also worked at gaining more knowledge.




“As an unusually talented and very good-looking orphan, he naturally drew attention and sympathy from the staff almost from the moment of his arrival. He seemed polite, quiet and thirsty for knowledge. Nearly all were most favourably impressed by him.”
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 17 (A Sluggish Memory)




He had gotten top grades in every examination he’d taken, which is further evidence that he was a dedicated student.




“He reached the seventh year of his schooling with, as you might have expected, top grades in every examination he had taken. All around him, his classmates were deciding which jobs they were to pursue once they had left Hogwarts. Nearly everybody expected spectacular things from Tom Riddle, prefect, Head Boy, winner of the Special Award for Services to the School.”
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 20 (Lord Voldemort’s Request)




Tom also said he was trusted because he was a model student.




“It was my word against Hagrid’s, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school Prefect, model student; on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls.”
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 17 (The Heir of Slytherin)




From what we know of Tom’s achievements, and how his teachers and peers perceived him, he almost certainly studied heavily.






share|improve this answer












Most likely, Tom had studied a lot.



It’s very likely Tom studied a lot while he was at Hogwarts. He was described as being thirsty for knowledge, which implies that not only was he naturally talented, he also worked at gaining more knowledge.




“As an unusually talented and very good-looking orphan, he naturally drew attention and sympathy from the staff almost from the moment of his arrival. He seemed polite, quiet and thirsty for knowledge. Nearly all were most favourably impressed by him.”
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 17 (A Sluggish Memory)




He had gotten top grades in every examination he’d taken, which is further evidence that he was a dedicated student.




“He reached the seventh year of his schooling with, as you might have expected, top grades in every examination he had taken. All around him, his classmates were deciding which jobs they were to pursue once they had left Hogwarts. Nearly everybody expected spectacular things from Tom Riddle, prefect, Head Boy, winner of the Special Award for Services to the School.”
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 20 (Lord Voldemort’s Request)




Tom also said he was trusted because he was a model student.




“It was my word against Hagrid’s, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school Prefect, model student; on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls.”
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 17 (The Heir of Slytherin)




From what we know of Tom’s achievements, and how his teachers and peers perceived him, he almost certainly studied heavily.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 17 hours ago









Bellatrix

69.8k12311353




69.8k12311353








  • 3




    Note that, if a naturally talented wizard, Tom might not have needed to study hard to get good grades, but that would simply allow him to study beyond the curriculum (for instances, horcruxes).
    – RDFozz
    15 hours ago










  • @RDFozz True - that’s why it’s only one point of my answer and I open it with him seeming thirsty for knowledge. That he was known to seek out knowledge implies he studied as well as was naturally talented.
    – Bellatrix
    15 hours ago
















  • 3




    Note that, if a naturally talented wizard, Tom might not have needed to study hard to get good grades, but that would simply allow him to study beyond the curriculum (for instances, horcruxes).
    – RDFozz
    15 hours ago










  • @RDFozz True - that’s why it’s only one point of my answer and I open it with him seeming thirsty for knowledge. That he was known to seek out knowledge implies he studied as well as was naturally talented.
    – Bellatrix
    15 hours ago










3




3




Note that, if a naturally talented wizard, Tom might not have needed to study hard to get good grades, but that would simply allow him to study beyond the curriculum (for instances, horcruxes).
– RDFozz
15 hours ago




Note that, if a naturally talented wizard, Tom might not have needed to study hard to get good grades, but that would simply allow him to study beyond the curriculum (for instances, horcruxes).
– RDFozz
15 hours ago












@RDFozz True - that’s why it’s only one point of my answer and I open it with him seeming thirsty for knowledge. That he was known to seek out knowledge implies he studied as well as was naturally talented.
– Bellatrix
15 hours ago






@RDFozz True - that’s why it’s only one point of my answer and I open it with him seeming thirsty for knowledge. That he was known to seek out knowledge implies he studied as well as was naturally talented.
– Bellatrix
15 hours ago















3














I believe that examples from real life can shed some light on this.



As you will certainly remember from school, there are few children who struggle to learn even the basics of whatever is being taught to them, and a few students who very quickly master everything the teachers have prepared for them (when I was in school the latter group were called "brains"), with the vast majority of students falling somewhere between these two extremes. Some students in the latter group grasp things so quickly that they hardly need to study at all.



I myself taught computer literacy at the local high school (a mixed class—90% ninth graders and ten percent apes), and there was a marked disparity of ability. Some students took three days to complete an assignment that other students could knock off in half a class period.



In the books, Dumbledore clearly states—in Chamber of Secrets and Half-blood Prince—that Tom Riddle was at the top end of the scale during his Hogwarts years. Remember also that he had been making use of his magical abilities, without any schooling, prior to his attendance; the practice seems to have done him well.



Aside from what we might call native ability, there is the desire to learn. A lot of children in real-life schools regard their time there as something to be endured, and the knowledge taught there as a bunch of junk with no practical value. (Insert your favorite meme about not using algebra today, here.) Once the tests are passed, these students appear to evict the unwanted knowledge from their heads. But there are a handful of kids who take a genuine interest in the topic (yes, even with the stuff the rest of us find boring) and approach the topic with the intent to thoroughly understand it.



In the case of Hogwarts, we can see that Ron is an example of someone for whom schooling is a form of mild torment, whereas Riddle and Hermione clearly showed up with the intention to learn; in Sorcerer's Stone we learn that Hermione has already read every word of her school books, and in Half-blood Prince we are told that Riddle was sorted into Slytherin the moment the Sorting Hat touched his head.



And as any adult will tell you, there can be a lot of overlap between the bright students and the ambitious ones, and the result is a model student. They have talent, so everything comes easier, and they have ambition, so they put more effort into it.



It doesn't take a canon source to see how Riddle was pushing the known bounds of magic even during his time at school. If he learned everything in half the time it took other students to learn—a completely realistic assumption—he had plenty of time for other things.






share|improve this answer

















  • 3




    I know you're trying to keep the writing in this answer interesting, but could you possibly rephrase the "10% apes" bit? You probably didn't mean it racially, but its vague enough that some folks are likely to take it that way (and worse, do so happily as part of their worldview).
    – T.E.D.
    12 hours ago










  • calling students apes doesn't seem nice to me. please consider editing
    – aaaaaa
    4 hours ago
















3














I believe that examples from real life can shed some light on this.



As you will certainly remember from school, there are few children who struggle to learn even the basics of whatever is being taught to them, and a few students who very quickly master everything the teachers have prepared for them (when I was in school the latter group were called "brains"), with the vast majority of students falling somewhere between these two extremes. Some students in the latter group grasp things so quickly that they hardly need to study at all.



I myself taught computer literacy at the local high school (a mixed class—90% ninth graders and ten percent apes), and there was a marked disparity of ability. Some students took three days to complete an assignment that other students could knock off in half a class period.



In the books, Dumbledore clearly states—in Chamber of Secrets and Half-blood Prince—that Tom Riddle was at the top end of the scale during his Hogwarts years. Remember also that he had been making use of his magical abilities, without any schooling, prior to his attendance; the practice seems to have done him well.



Aside from what we might call native ability, there is the desire to learn. A lot of children in real-life schools regard their time there as something to be endured, and the knowledge taught there as a bunch of junk with no practical value. (Insert your favorite meme about not using algebra today, here.) Once the tests are passed, these students appear to evict the unwanted knowledge from their heads. But there are a handful of kids who take a genuine interest in the topic (yes, even with the stuff the rest of us find boring) and approach the topic with the intent to thoroughly understand it.



In the case of Hogwarts, we can see that Ron is an example of someone for whom schooling is a form of mild torment, whereas Riddle and Hermione clearly showed up with the intention to learn; in Sorcerer's Stone we learn that Hermione has already read every word of her school books, and in Half-blood Prince we are told that Riddle was sorted into Slytherin the moment the Sorting Hat touched his head.



And as any adult will tell you, there can be a lot of overlap between the bright students and the ambitious ones, and the result is a model student. They have talent, so everything comes easier, and they have ambition, so they put more effort into it.



It doesn't take a canon source to see how Riddle was pushing the known bounds of magic even during his time at school. If he learned everything in half the time it took other students to learn—a completely realistic assumption—he had plenty of time for other things.






share|improve this answer

















  • 3




    I know you're trying to keep the writing in this answer interesting, but could you possibly rephrase the "10% apes" bit? You probably didn't mean it racially, but its vague enough that some folks are likely to take it that way (and worse, do so happily as part of their worldview).
    – T.E.D.
    12 hours ago










  • calling students apes doesn't seem nice to me. please consider editing
    – aaaaaa
    4 hours ago














3












3








3






I believe that examples from real life can shed some light on this.



As you will certainly remember from school, there are few children who struggle to learn even the basics of whatever is being taught to them, and a few students who very quickly master everything the teachers have prepared for them (when I was in school the latter group were called "brains"), with the vast majority of students falling somewhere between these two extremes. Some students in the latter group grasp things so quickly that they hardly need to study at all.



I myself taught computer literacy at the local high school (a mixed class—90% ninth graders and ten percent apes), and there was a marked disparity of ability. Some students took three days to complete an assignment that other students could knock off in half a class period.



In the books, Dumbledore clearly states—in Chamber of Secrets and Half-blood Prince—that Tom Riddle was at the top end of the scale during his Hogwarts years. Remember also that he had been making use of his magical abilities, without any schooling, prior to his attendance; the practice seems to have done him well.



Aside from what we might call native ability, there is the desire to learn. A lot of children in real-life schools regard their time there as something to be endured, and the knowledge taught there as a bunch of junk with no practical value. (Insert your favorite meme about not using algebra today, here.) Once the tests are passed, these students appear to evict the unwanted knowledge from their heads. But there are a handful of kids who take a genuine interest in the topic (yes, even with the stuff the rest of us find boring) and approach the topic with the intent to thoroughly understand it.



In the case of Hogwarts, we can see that Ron is an example of someone for whom schooling is a form of mild torment, whereas Riddle and Hermione clearly showed up with the intention to learn; in Sorcerer's Stone we learn that Hermione has already read every word of her school books, and in Half-blood Prince we are told that Riddle was sorted into Slytherin the moment the Sorting Hat touched his head.



And as any adult will tell you, there can be a lot of overlap between the bright students and the ambitious ones, and the result is a model student. They have talent, so everything comes easier, and they have ambition, so they put more effort into it.



It doesn't take a canon source to see how Riddle was pushing the known bounds of magic even during his time at school. If he learned everything in half the time it took other students to learn—a completely realistic assumption—he had plenty of time for other things.






share|improve this answer












I believe that examples from real life can shed some light on this.



As you will certainly remember from school, there are few children who struggle to learn even the basics of whatever is being taught to them, and a few students who very quickly master everything the teachers have prepared for them (when I was in school the latter group were called "brains"), with the vast majority of students falling somewhere between these two extremes. Some students in the latter group grasp things so quickly that they hardly need to study at all.



I myself taught computer literacy at the local high school (a mixed class—90% ninth graders and ten percent apes), and there was a marked disparity of ability. Some students took three days to complete an assignment that other students could knock off in half a class period.



In the books, Dumbledore clearly states—in Chamber of Secrets and Half-blood Prince—that Tom Riddle was at the top end of the scale during his Hogwarts years. Remember also that he had been making use of his magical abilities, without any schooling, prior to his attendance; the practice seems to have done him well.



Aside from what we might call native ability, there is the desire to learn. A lot of children in real-life schools regard their time there as something to be endured, and the knowledge taught there as a bunch of junk with no practical value. (Insert your favorite meme about not using algebra today, here.) Once the tests are passed, these students appear to evict the unwanted knowledge from their heads. But there are a handful of kids who take a genuine interest in the topic (yes, even with the stuff the rest of us find boring) and approach the topic with the intent to thoroughly understand it.



In the case of Hogwarts, we can see that Ron is an example of someone for whom schooling is a form of mild torment, whereas Riddle and Hermione clearly showed up with the intention to learn; in Sorcerer's Stone we learn that Hermione has already read every word of her school books, and in Half-blood Prince we are told that Riddle was sorted into Slytherin the moment the Sorting Hat touched his head.



And as any adult will tell you, there can be a lot of overlap between the bright students and the ambitious ones, and the result is a model student. They have talent, so everything comes easier, and they have ambition, so they put more effort into it.



It doesn't take a canon source to see how Riddle was pushing the known bounds of magic even during his time at school. If he learned everything in half the time it took other students to learn—a completely realistic assumption—he had plenty of time for other things.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 17 hours ago









EvilSnack

2,20669




2,20669








  • 3




    I know you're trying to keep the writing in this answer interesting, but could you possibly rephrase the "10% apes" bit? You probably didn't mean it racially, but its vague enough that some folks are likely to take it that way (and worse, do so happily as part of their worldview).
    – T.E.D.
    12 hours ago










  • calling students apes doesn't seem nice to me. please consider editing
    – aaaaaa
    4 hours ago














  • 3




    I know you're trying to keep the writing in this answer interesting, but could you possibly rephrase the "10% apes" bit? You probably didn't mean it racially, but its vague enough that some folks are likely to take it that way (and worse, do so happily as part of their worldview).
    – T.E.D.
    12 hours ago










  • calling students apes doesn't seem nice to me. please consider editing
    – aaaaaa
    4 hours ago








3




3




I know you're trying to keep the writing in this answer interesting, but could you possibly rephrase the "10% apes" bit? You probably didn't mean it racially, but its vague enough that some folks are likely to take it that way (and worse, do so happily as part of their worldview).
– T.E.D.
12 hours ago




I know you're trying to keep the writing in this answer interesting, but could you possibly rephrase the "10% apes" bit? You probably didn't mean it racially, but its vague enough that some folks are likely to take it that way (and worse, do so happily as part of their worldview).
– T.E.D.
12 hours ago












calling students apes doesn't seem nice to me. please consider editing
– aaaaaa
4 hours ago




calling students apes doesn't seem nice to me. please consider editing
– aaaaaa
4 hours ago











2















Riddle described the way he was seen as "poor, but brilliant, parent-less, but so brave, a school prefect, a model student."



Harry Potter wikia, Tom Riddle, Hogwarts years (1938-1945)




This shows us that he did well enough to become a Prefect;




"When I first met young Mr Riddle, he was a quiet albeit brilliant
boy, committed to becoming a first rate wizard. Not unlike others I've
known. Not unlike yourself. If the monster existed it was buried deep
within."

—Horace Slughorn regarding his first experiences with Tom Riddle




This shows us he was absolutely committed to doing well.






share|improve this answer























  • Firstly, they primary source would be better than a secondary one i.e. get the book quote. Secondly, can you use quote markdown for quotes? i.e. > at the beginning of the paragraph. Thirdly, when quoting a link it is best to describe in your own words how it answers the question rather than relying 100% on the link. Lastly, I'm not too sure how this actually answers the question of how much he studied.
    – TheLethalCarrot
    22 hours ago






  • 5




    Ron did well enough to become a Prefect, so it's not necessarily an indicator of academic excellence.
    – Anthony Grist
    21 hours ago










  • @AnthonyGrist Oh right, I forgot that...
    – James Douglas
    1 hour ago
















2















Riddle described the way he was seen as "poor, but brilliant, parent-less, but so brave, a school prefect, a model student."



Harry Potter wikia, Tom Riddle, Hogwarts years (1938-1945)




This shows us that he did well enough to become a Prefect;




"When I first met young Mr Riddle, he was a quiet albeit brilliant
boy, committed to becoming a first rate wizard. Not unlike others I've
known. Not unlike yourself. If the monster existed it was buried deep
within."

—Horace Slughorn regarding his first experiences with Tom Riddle




This shows us he was absolutely committed to doing well.






share|improve this answer























  • Firstly, they primary source would be better than a secondary one i.e. get the book quote. Secondly, can you use quote markdown for quotes? i.e. > at the beginning of the paragraph. Thirdly, when quoting a link it is best to describe in your own words how it answers the question rather than relying 100% on the link. Lastly, I'm not too sure how this actually answers the question of how much he studied.
    – TheLethalCarrot
    22 hours ago






  • 5




    Ron did well enough to become a Prefect, so it's not necessarily an indicator of academic excellence.
    – Anthony Grist
    21 hours ago










  • @AnthonyGrist Oh right, I forgot that...
    – James Douglas
    1 hour ago














2












2








2







Riddle described the way he was seen as "poor, but brilliant, parent-less, but so brave, a school prefect, a model student."



Harry Potter wikia, Tom Riddle, Hogwarts years (1938-1945)




This shows us that he did well enough to become a Prefect;




"When I first met young Mr Riddle, he was a quiet albeit brilliant
boy, committed to becoming a first rate wizard. Not unlike others I've
known. Not unlike yourself. If the monster existed it was buried deep
within."

—Horace Slughorn regarding his first experiences with Tom Riddle




This shows us he was absolutely committed to doing well.






share|improve this answer















Riddle described the way he was seen as "poor, but brilliant, parent-less, but so brave, a school prefect, a model student."



Harry Potter wikia, Tom Riddle, Hogwarts years (1938-1945)




This shows us that he did well enough to become a Prefect;




"When I first met young Mr Riddle, he was a quiet albeit brilliant
boy, committed to becoming a first rate wizard. Not unlike others I've
known. Not unlike yourself. If the monster existed it was buried deep
within."

—Horace Slughorn regarding his first experiences with Tom Riddle




This shows us he was absolutely committed to doing well.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 22 hours ago

























answered 22 hours ago









James Douglas

1,557826




1,557826












  • Firstly, they primary source would be better than a secondary one i.e. get the book quote. Secondly, can you use quote markdown for quotes? i.e. > at the beginning of the paragraph. Thirdly, when quoting a link it is best to describe in your own words how it answers the question rather than relying 100% on the link. Lastly, I'm not too sure how this actually answers the question of how much he studied.
    – TheLethalCarrot
    22 hours ago






  • 5




    Ron did well enough to become a Prefect, so it's not necessarily an indicator of academic excellence.
    – Anthony Grist
    21 hours ago










  • @AnthonyGrist Oh right, I forgot that...
    – James Douglas
    1 hour ago


















  • Firstly, they primary source would be better than a secondary one i.e. get the book quote. Secondly, can you use quote markdown for quotes? i.e. > at the beginning of the paragraph. Thirdly, when quoting a link it is best to describe in your own words how it answers the question rather than relying 100% on the link. Lastly, I'm not too sure how this actually answers the question of how much he studied.
    – TheLethalCarrot
    22 hours ago






  • 5




    Ron did well enough to become a Prefect, so it's not necessarily an indicator of academic excellence.
    – Anthony Grist
    21 hours ago










  • @AnthonyGrist Oh right, I forgot that...
    – James Douglas
    1 hour ago
















Firstly, they primary source would be better than a secondary one i.e. get the book quote. Secondly, can you use quote markdown for quotes? i.e. > at the beginning of the paragraph. Thirdly, when quoting a link it is best to describe in your own words how it answers the question rather than relying 100% on the link. Lastly, I'm not too sure how this actually answers the question of how much he studied.
– TheLethalCarrot
22 hours ago




Firstly, they primary source would be better than a secondary one i.e. get the book quote. Secondly, can you use quote markdown for quotes? i.e. > at the beginning of the paragraph. Thirdly, when quoting a link it is best to describe in your own words how it answers the question rather than relying 100% on the link. Lastly, I'm not too sure how this actually answers the question of how much he studied.
– TheLethalCarrot
22 hours ago




5




5




Ron did well enough to become a Prefect, so it's not necessarily an indicator of academic excellence.
– Anthony Grist
21 hours ago




Ron did well enough to become a Prefect, so it's not necessarily an indicator of academic excellence.
– Anthony Grist
21 hours ago












@AnthonyGrist Oh right, I forgot that...
– James Douglas
1 hour ago




@AnthonyGrist Oh right, I forgot that...
– James Douglas
1 hour ago










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