Ngo Tien Anh, 18 years old, achieved a near-perfect SAT score of 1,590/1,600 after a summer of self-study.
Tien Anh, a 12AE1 student at Nguyen Sieu Secondary and High School, Hanoi, scored 1,590/1,600 points in the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) at the end of August. Of which, Tien Anh's Math score was a perfect 800/800, and his Reading Comprehension score was 790.
This is a standardized test widely used in college admissions in the US and many other countries. According to the College Board , the organization that organizes the SAT, less than 1% of candidates worldwide achieve the same score as Tien Anh.
Ngo Tien Anh, class 12AE1, Nguyen Sieu Secondary and High School, Hanoi. Photo: Provided by the character
The idea of taking the SAT came to Tien Anh around April this year, when he set a goal of being admitted to the Pharmacy program at Monash University, Australia. This is one of the top eight universities in Australia (Group G8), the top 3 best Pharmacy training in the world. To have a chance to be admitted and compete for 35 entrance scholarships, the male student said he had to quickly add this certificate to his application.
Tien Anh said he started late because most of his friends studied for the SAT in 10th grade and finished the exam in 11th grade. However, he decided not to take extra classes but to study at home.
"I took the practice test in June and got 1,430 points. I told myself that after two months, I could reach my target of 1,500. Besides, if the August exam did not give me satisfactory results, I still have the November and May 2024 exams to retake," Tien Anh explained.
The SAT consists of two sections: Reading and Math, each with two modules of increasing difficulty. The test is taken on a computer, and takes approximately 2.5 hours to complete, with a 20-minute break between sections.
The Reading section has more than 50 multiple choice questions. About half of the questions come with passages, readings, short poems, the rest are questions in the form of information tables, sentence structures... With experience in IELTS test preparation, Tien Anh has skimming skills, so he does not have difficulty with question types based on the provided material.
The most difficult questions are those with poetry data. The male student said that like Vietnamese, this type of text often has many layers of literary meaning, while Tien Anh's vocabulary is inclined towards scientific texts. To overcome this, he learned more vocabulary and practiced these types of questions.
Regarding the Math section, Tien Anh commented that this is the strength of Vietnamese students when taking the SAT, because the knowledge mainly falls into the middle school math program, some difficult questions are at the early high school level. However, the test will have distracting facts that may not be needed in the process of finding the answer, different from the principle of "no unnecessary facts" in Vietnamese math tests. To do it correctly, candidates need to have a firm grasp of the knowledge and be careful.
Studying during the summer break, Tien Anh was able to focus on the SAT in June, but when he returned to school in the second half of July, he felt quite overwhelmed. In addition to the full-day school program, the male student also took Math, Literature and French. According to Tien Anh, the advantage is that despite having a lot of work, he can be proactive about his time. On days when he is too busy, he will spend less time on the SAT, but not less than 45 minutes.
Tien Anh mainly uses online exam preparation materials and practice tests, rarely using paper books. In addition, he often asks for additional materials and advice from experienced classmates. Whenever he practices and encounters difficult questions or new types of exercises, Tien Anh takes pictures to discuss with his friends.
Tien Anh and his family on a trip to Ha Giang, September 2022. Photo: Provided by the character
Mr. Le Minh Thuc, Tien Anh's homeroom teacher, said that his student is always persistent, serious and meticulous in his studies, and often discusses and asks for advice from teachers if he encounters difficult problems.
"Tien Anh has a clear goal, from which he makes a suitable plan. The SAT result is the sweet fruit of his perseverance," said Mr. Thuc.
The teacher said that in grades 9 and 10, Tien Anh studied the Cambridge system, IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) in the Economics group. In grade 11, he switched to the AE system (Intensive Academic English), focusing on natural subjects to conquer Pharmacy at university. The program change made Tien Anh study for the SAT late, but in return, he had a broad knowledge base.
Having completed one criterion of the study abroad application, Tien Anh said he "felt relieved". Currently, he is focusing on improving his grades in class to compete for an entrance scholarship to Monash University.
Vnexpress.net
Comment (0)