Albert Einstein received good grades, but he did not like the learning system. He didn't fail maths as many believe, but he did fail the entrance exam to the Zurich Polytechnic his first try. He passed the maths portion but failed the language, botany, and zoology sections — all were written in French, which he wasn't fluent in. He also took it at an impressive age of 16, about a year and half away from graduating high school. For someone who began reading University physics books at 11, he probably wasn't the worst student.