Khac Cong stated he had estimated his scores immediately after completing the three-subject combination exam.

"When I learned my scores, I was overjoyed because I was the only one nationwide to achieve this level. My family is planning a celebration," Khac Cong said.

Nguyen Khac Cong. Photo: Supplied by subject

Khac Cong shared that his preparation for the high school graduation exam was disciplined but not stressful. His study secret was not attending extra classes outside of school, but rather focusing on learning from his teachers in class. At home, he sought additional materials from textbooks and online resources.

"Every day, after morning classes and afternoon exam preparation, I dedicated my evenings to self-study from 8 pm until around 10:30 or 11 pm," the student recounted.

During practice exams at school, Cong always carefully noted his mistakes, then reviewed and thoroughly understood them to correct them, determined never to repeat them. He believes it is not necessary to find too many difficult problems to solve; the most important thing is to firmly grasp foundational theories.

Cong noted that this year's mathematics exam was well-differentiated. The exam included challenging questions, but if one found the right approach, the solution was quite concise. He was particularly impressed by the conditional staircase probability question involving non-divisibility by 5.

"Initially, when I read it, I thought I couldn't do it, but by the end of the time, I calmly re-attempted it, and everything was solved," Cong recounted.

Regarding physics and chemistry, the top scorer assessed this year's exam as slightly more challenging than last year's and heavily focused on theory, requiring candidates to have a very firm grasp of knowledge. In 12th grade, Cong won second prize in provincial physics, earning him a spot on the team, which made him confident in the subject.

For chemistry, he found the exam engaging and appropriate, especially the short-answer section, which contained many questions he had not encountered before, requiring students to think critically directly in the exam room.

"When taking the actual exam, mindset is the deciding factor. The knowledge I had reviewed was sufficient; a steady mindset was all that was needed to perform well," Khac Cong said.

Nguyen Khac Nguyen, Khac Cong's father, was delighted to hear his son achieved high scores. The father stated that the family always prioritized their son's health.

"I always limited my son's study time to around 11 pm - 11:30 pm, after which he had to stop. Many nights, I had to stay awake to remind and make him go to bed, not allowing him to study later to ensure his health," he said.

The father also mentioned that he did not pressure or deeply interfere with his son's choice of major.

"When he went to school, he researched and chose the major he liked himself. I only encouraged him that once he chose, he must strive and love his profession," the new top scorer's father shared.

Khac Cong plans to use his A00 block results to apply for the information technology program at the University of Technology (Vietnam National University, Hanoi).

"I really like computers and working with systems and data. I believe this major will be a good fit for me," the new top scorer expressed.

Doan Hung