Is it natural to use : " I came first in my exams " to mean: "I achieved first rank in my class", or does this sound dated?
https://www.wikihow.com/Come-First-in-Exams
I read it here, so I just thought if it sounds natural.
asked Mar 23 '19 at 3:33
The phrase sounds perfectly natural to me.
You could also say, "I scored the highest in my exams," which seems to have a slightly more literal and neutral connotation, instead of implying that the exam is a competition that can be "won".
Come first means to win first position in a competition
e.g I came first in the writing competition.
So it is idiomatic to say--
I came first in my class.
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Although in my American dialect came in first is more usual. Came first is more literal: “Which came first, Paula Abdul's ‘Straight Up’ or the opening of the Beriln Wall?” – Anton Sherwood Mar 23 '19 at 4:50
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But "came in first" is used for sports competitions and not off tests. – It's about English Mar 23 '19 at 11:35
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