Le Thanh Danh, a student from class 12A1 at Nguyen Khuyen High School - Binh Duong, scored a perfect 10 in mathematics and physics, 9.75 in chemistry, and 8.5 in literature, according to this year's high school graduation exam score data from the Ministry of Education and Training.

With these results, the student is Ho Chi Minh City's top scorer across four graduation exam subjects and the national runner-up. Additionally, Danh leads the A0 block (mathematics, physics, chemistry) in the city.

"I was very surprised," Danh said. He stated he had self-graded and predicted his scores but did not expect to become the top graduate.

His exam strategy involved quickly and accurately answering multiple-choice questions, being careful with true/false questions, and tackling short-answer questions in order of difficulty, from easy to hard.

Among the three subjects, Danh found the mathematics probability and short-answer questions more manageable than last year. However, the true/false section was harder. For physics, some multiple-choice questions had new formats, causing him to hesitate.

Chemistry, however, was the most overwhelming subject for Danh. He couldn't fully complete a question about the trends in element changes because he had only about 3 minutes left and was uncertain about the compound's properties.

Le Thanh Danh. Photo courtesy of interviewee.

An important study method Danh adopted since grade 11 was reviewing lessons daily to correct errors and learn from them. He mentioned that when he first started high school, he often felt overwhelmed and short on time because he was used to rote learning. Danh experimented with various methods and eventually realized the need to think critically and deduce from core principles. Subsequently, he gradually raised his average scores in his subject combination to 9.5-9.75.

Daily, he allocated his time evenly across all subjects, focusing on his main subject combination during the final sprint, and completing two practice exams each day. Outside of studying, Danh would listen to music or walk to relax and reduce stress.

Many candidates applying with A00 block scores often neglect literature, but Danh took a different approach. He believes this subject is essential for improving communication and writing skills. Danh primarily paid attention in class, focusing on how to develop ideas and present them logically for effective results without spending excessive time.

This year's literature graduation exam sparked debate with a question about "Steve Jobs Vietnam." However, Danh considered the question excellent, novel, and open enough for candidates to express their views. He only found the argumentative essay challenging when he had to determine the meaning of the poem "Nhung Chiec La," but he ultimately completed the exam as expected.

Phan Thanh Tung, the homeroom teacher of class 12A1, stated that Danh was always among the outstanding students in the class. He previously won the second prize in the city-level chemistry excellent student competition and achieved 1074 out of 1200 points in the assessment test for Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City – the highest score in the class.

"Danh possesses excellent self-study abilities and often reads additional reference books. He frequently poses interesting questions that make teachers think before answering," Mr. Tung commented. Besides being a good student, Danh is also sociable, often helps his friends, and draws beautifully.

Currently, Danh is considering pursuing mathematics education. He views it as a fundamental science from which he can further develop in many other subjects and fields.

Danh was also inspired by the dedication of his homeroom teacher, Mr. Tung, and the enthusiasm and resilience of Ms. Kim Trong, a literature teacher at the school.

"I enjoy the feeling of imparting knowledge and experience to help the next generation," Danh said.

Khanh Linh