Nong Duc Quan, a 12th-grade student from Son Dong No. 1 High School, won the national second prize in Informatics with 21,14/40 points, as announced by the Ministry of Education and Training a few days ago.

"I am very happy because the achievement exceeded my initial expectations," the student said. Previously, Quan only aimed for a third prize.

The student noted that the exam structure was generally easier than last year. Quan approached the exam giving his best effort, without excessive pressure regarding the results. His pre-planned strategy was to read each problem twice to form an idea, then begin working. After completing, Quan reread the entire paper to minimize errors.

He was most impressed with question 4, related to number sequences, and question 1, requiring deductive reasoning, neither of which were his strengths.

"It wasn't until near the end of the time that an idea came to me, and after a quick draft, I was able to fully complete both questions," Quan recalled.

Nong Duc Quan. Photo: *Provided by character*.

Quan developed a passion for Informatics in 8th grade when he first encountered the provincial young Informatics competition. Thanks to a strong mathematical thinking foundation, his teachers invited him to join the school team.

In 10th grade, Quan decided to study seriously and set a goal to join the national Informatics team. To realize this dream, Quan broke down the journey: in 10th and 11th grade, he aimed for a consolation prize in the young Informatics competition, and in 11th grade, a second prize in the provincial excellent student competition.

He proactively sought information and asked the school to register him for the provincial selection exam for the national team.

In class, Quan always tried to optimize time for other subjects to dedicate to Informatics. During the summer break of 11th grade, Quan focused on self-studying through online classes and "grinding" through daily assignments given by his teacher.

"There were parts that were difficult to understand, and I didn't know who to ask, so I had to read and review them myself until I understood," Quan said.

Late last year, the student was overjoyed when he made it onto the provincial team for the national competition, securing the 20th out of 20 spots, as the only student from a rural school.

"I was only 0,2 points away from another student to get the spot," the student recounted.

During the intensive training period, Quan stayed in the dormitory of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang specialized high schools, returning home once every two weeks. In the final sprint phase, the student felt stressed because his mock exam results were not good. Determined to "go all in", Quan focused more intensely. Besides studying with the team, he independently searched Informatics websites for more problems to familiarize himself with different problem types and thinking methods, not sleeping before 0h.

"For problems I got wrong, I would redo them until I understood and solved them correctly," Quan said. "I also often discussed and asked friends for help with problems and practiced specific problem types to understand the core theory taught."

To relieve pressure, the student often took a 15-30 minute walk every afternoon.

Half a day after receiving his national excellent student competition results for Informatics, Quan also entered the provincial excellent student competition for Mathematics on 20/1. The student said that about 20 days prior, he maintained a regular study rhythm, doing one practice paper each day, while reviewing and filling in any forgotten knowledge "gaps".

"In the summer of 11th grade, I studied both Mathematics and Informatics in parallel for the national team selection exam, so I accumulated a lot of supplementary knowledge, which made it easier," Quan said.

Ms. Chu Thi Huong, the homeroom teacher of class 12A1, commented that Quan is intelligent, humble, disciplined, and highly determined. Previously, Quan stood out as the top scorer in the 10th-grade entrance exam.

"For a mountainous school, having a student make it to the national team is extremely difficult. Quan also mainly self-studied and had to compete with students from specialized schools," Ms. Huong said emotionally.

Quan stated he would continue to participate in more Informatics competitions while focusing on preparing for aptitude tests. The student is currently interested in Mathematics Pedagogy, Computer Science, and Information Technology fields.

"If you truly make an effort, the whole world will support you," Quan concluded.

Huyen Trang