Nguyen Tuan Anh, an 11th-grade student from the English 1 class at THPT chuyen Ha Noi - Amsterdam High School, achieved a perfect score on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) late last year.
The SAT is a standardized test widely used for admission to universities in the United States and many universities in Vietnam. According to College Board, the organization that owns the test, a score of 1530 or higher places a test-taker in the top 1% globally among more than two million candidates each year.
Tuan Anh began serious preparation for the exam in 10th grade. The test consists of two sections: Reading and Writing (54 questions) and Math (44 questions), lasting over two hours.
In his first attempt in 8/2025, the student scored 1570, losing points on two questions in the Reading and Writing section. Tuan Anh noted these were challenging inference questions.
"Although I eliminated two incorrect answers, due to a lack of luck and insufficient deep reasoning, I chose the wrong option between the two remaining choices," the student recounted, determined to retake the test to "prove I could achieve a perfect score."
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Nguyen Tuan Anh, 11th grade English 1, THPT chuyen Ha Noi - Amsterdam High School. Photo: Provided by subject |
Learning from his experience, Tuan Anh prepared more thoroughly for the next exam, which took place over three months later.
For the Math section, he observed that the knowledge covered all areas, from algebra to geometry, primarily focusing on middle school and 10th-grade curricula. The key to securing a perfect 800 in Math was mastering the Desmos software, an application used in the SAT exam, for graphing, visualizing mathematical equations, geometry, and statistics.
"If one perfectly utilizes the Desmos features integrated into the exam, a perfect score is almost guaranteed. It helps solve graph-related and calculation problems very quickly," Tuan Anh revealed.
Despite his preparation, the student once faced a "heart-stopping" moment with a spatial geometry question requiring a fill-in-the-blank answer. Since the problem did not specify the required decimal rounding, Tuan Anh carefully entered the maximum allowed characters to ensure accuracy.
The Reading and Writing section presented the greatest challenge. Tuan Anh assessed this section as demanding logical reasoning and a deep English vocabulary. He adopted a vocabulary learning method using "root words."
"English originates from many different languages. Learning prefixes and suffixes like 'in-', 'un-', 'pre-' or root words like 'cre-', 'plac-', 'mal-' helped me guess the meaning of new words even if I had never encountered them before," the student shared.
Additionally, Tuan Anh did not merely check correct and incorrect answers after each practice test. He also meticulously analyzed why the other options were wrong. He created a list of common errors and "traps" to review daily. According to Tuan Anh, SAT traps are subtle; for example, in grammar, the subject can be a very long phrase, making it difficult for test-takers to identify the main verb for correct tense conjugation.
This dedication helped him correctly answer an inference question about "negative reviews" in his second SAT attempt. The student deliberated for five minutes and ultimately made the correct choice, securing his perfect score of 1600.
Discipline was a key factor in the Ams student achieving the maximum score, according to Nghiem Duc An, an SAT tutor. He stated that his student completed 47% of his collection of 888 practice tests.
"On average, over about 1,5 years of preparation, Tuan Anh solved more than 400 practice tests. At one point, he was doing 3-4 tests every day," An said.
Tuan Anh plans to use his SAT score to apply to domestic universities and prepare applications for studying in the US, focusing on science fields.
Sharing his study tips, the student advised against rote learning or guessing test topics, as the SAT covers a broad range of subjects, from natural sciences, social sciences, to economics and philosophy.
"The most important thing is to read every word, paying attention to every small detail, because just one word can change the meaning of an entire paragraph," Tuan Anh explained. "Preparing mentally and having all necessary tools before the exam is also very important."
Doan Hung
