From suspension to Spain's youngest registrar: I study for 15 hours. I'm not a genius

Vaughn found his way into law school. His brother was already a lawyer, so he went straight to the competition. His attempt to enter the notary section failed, but he passed the exams that allowed him to become the youngest property registrar in Spain. His name is Gonzalo Olmos Gil, he is from Algorta, a small town in Getcho (Viscaya), and will soon start work in the Asturian town of Cangas de Onis.

This 25-year-old young man is leaving behind those hellish days of studying 15 hours a day Monday through Sunday, with the uncertainty of how long he would have to study for his exams and what his ultimate fate would be. He realized that he would have to give up his dream in his freshman year.'He always wanted to be a doctor, but although his GPA was very high, it wasn't enough to get into medical school," he says. He went on to study science, but with a focus on studying law. "There are no lawyers in my family, just my older brother. He was always told that he could make a deal with the devil, that he had the gift of a lawyer, so I stayed out of that field, so to speak," says the young man from Algorta.

He was certain he would not practice law, so he entered the competition. The idea gradually matured as he studied civil, family and commercial law. He fell in love with private law, he says. During his studies, it became clear to him that he wanted to become a notary registrar. However,''It didn't put any pressure on him. "My record is not that brilliant, I have a 6.5 grade point average and I failed four subjects in my first semester," he commented.

He graduated, and Olmos had no idea how much his life could change in such a short period of time. The whole world was experiencing a pandemic when this young man finished his studies in Business Administration and Management with an economic specialization at Deusto University. That same summer of 2020, Olmos contacted a bidder who already knew his brother and a notary from Leiquitio. On October 1, he began his journey as a student of the pageant. He also spent 14 hours daily. "Until the first exam in the notary service in November 2021, I''took only five days of vacation. It came in March when curfew prevented us from leaving the city,'" he recalls.

In this exam, participants are given a one-hour oral exam in which they must develop three topics in front of a panel. "I left satisfied, I made it through the whole time. Then I realized there were some things I didn't do that well," he agrees. He failed the exam. After that, he suffered a significant drop in mood: "I lost interest in my studies and suffered from anxiety and fear attacks. I had to seek psychological help because it was the worst period of my life." Over time, however, Olmos is deeply proud of the fact that he did not miss any of the days when he reflected on the''studying. He studied for about 12 hours every day.

In March 2022, the registration competition was announced, and a few months later he was randomly assigned the number 36. He took his first exam in September and received a score of 19.20 out of 20. "Then came the most difficult period in the competition, the second exam was on mortgage and tax law. From September last year to February 2023, I studied at least 14 hours a day," recalls the hero of this story.

Six hours crucial. In the future, the youngest real estate registrar in Spain found an outlet in sports.

The long-awaited appointment finally came. On May 22, he took the practical exam, put it in an envelope, sealed it, signed it and handed it over to the committee. All that remained was its reading. Olmos, who had number 36, had to face him the next day. He had to read what was written literally. "That night I didn't sleep at all, you can imagine. I was super nervous and didn't even settle down in''The following days I tried to disconnect, go to the pool or crossfit,' he recalls." On May 30, he got a message from his teacher. He was to come to his house. He would be the one to tell him whether or not he passed. "He looked over and said, congratulations, you passed. I thought I was going to cry, but no, I started screaming," he says. The next day he had another exam, another six hours, but the most important was this third one, which he knew he had passed. Olmos has already chosen his destination: he's leaving for Asturias' Cangas de Onis and will start Nov. 2. "I have been fortunate that my family has been able to support me, my mother does not work and has always dedicated us and I have not had any personal problems. In fact, you have to have some financial resources to prepare for''exams in this way,' concludes the property registrar of the country's youngest.