Way to go: Daniel Barbakoff, Woodbury

Daniel Barbakoff, of Woodbury, recently claimed the state's top spot in a prestigious national exam.

The ninth-grader at Long Island School for the Gifted in Huntington Station was named New York State champion of the American Scholastic Achievement League's Scholastic Challenge Exam 2012, a 100-question multiple-choice online test that covers everything from history to science.

Barbakoff said his ranking as state champ was revealed during an announcement over his school's loudspeaker -- which he actually missed.

"I came in late, just as they were doing the announcements," said Barbakoff, 13, who called himself a "math and science person." "Everyone was congratulating me, and I wasn't sure what was going on."

He participated in the annual exam last spring, when he was in eighth grade. Students achieving a score over 60 are deemed "exceptional," league officials said.

The exam, which was timed to last an hour, was open to eighth-graders nationwide. Schools can enter groups of 30 students for $70, with a $2 payment for each additional pupil.

Barbakoff is on tennis and crew teams, and volunteers to help with bar mitzvah preparations at North Shore Synagogue in Syosset.