12th grade male student who scored a perfect 1600/1600 on the SAT exam shares test-taking tips

Results after more than 1 year of persistent study

On the morning of March 21, Minh received the good news that he had achieved a perfect score on the SAT standardized test - a test commonly used by universities around the world for admission. This was the result of more than a year of persistent study, through 4 attempts and a lot of effort on the part of the male student.

According to College Board statistics, about 2 million candidates take this exam each year, and candidates who score 1,530 or higher are in the top 1% globally.

Despite achieving impressive results, Minh said he has no special secret other than persistently practicing test questions every day.

“I mainly just practice the test questions day after day. I think I am still quite weak compared to other students who can get 1,500 points right from the first try, so "hard work makes up for lack of intelligence," Minh shared.

Nguyen Hoang Minh, a student of class 12A2 IT, High School for the Gifted in Natural Sciences, (University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Hanoi). Photo: Kim Ngan

One of the methods that helped Minh improve his score was to take advantage of previous SAT exam codes, shared on social networks and at test preparation centers. Practicing with these questions helped the male student get familiar with the actual exam structure, while also increasing his ability to handle long, frustrating questions.

In addition, Minh also searches for documents from foreign sources such as Erica, Princeton and SAT Suite Bank - free but very effective test preparation documents.

“Continuously practicing like this of course requires a lot of perseverance and determination. I think everyone should find their own way of studying that suits their health and goals,” Minh added.

The SAT consists of two main parts: Math and Reading - Writing. For the Math part, Minh believes that the content mainly revolves around the 8th - 9th grade program in Vietnam, focusing on exercises about functions, geometry, and trigonometry.

Math is his strength, so male students usually finish it in the first 15 minutes, and then do it all over again in the remaining 20 minutes to make sure they don't make any mistakes.

The Reading and Writing section was the most challenging, as the passages covered a wide range of subjects, from science to classical literature. To optimize time, Minh chose the strategy of doing the grammar and vocabulary sections first, then the questions that required high-level thinking. He would leave the difficult questions, which required linking information from different passages, for last to avoid time-consuming distractions and allow him to calmly reason.

Hoang Minh and his family. Photo: Kim Ngan

Plan to apply for Computer Science, Hanoi University of Science and Technology

Minh started preparing for the SAT at the beginning of 11th grade. At first, he studied on his own but only scored 1,470 on his first attempt. Realizing that he needed a more systematic approach, he decided to join a prep class to get more materials and more effective strategies.

Every night, Minh spends about 1-2 hours practicing 1-2 SAT questions, less than many other students who can do 3-5 questions per session. However, Minh focuses on quality over quantity, often writing down wrong answers in a separate folder to analyze carefully and find ways to fix them.

“The basic theory of the SAT is not much, but the difficulty lies in the variety of questions. There are questions that require very clear reasoning, and there are also questions that require candidates to connect a lot of scattered information in the text to find the correct answer. Therefore, I do a lot of tests to improve my reflexes,” Minh said.

In addition to studying in class, Minh also uses his free time to study for the SAT. He tries to understand the lectures carefully so that when he gets home, he can focus on practicing the test.

With a score of 16.00 on the SAT, Minh is more confident in applying to the Computer Science (IT1) program at Hanoi University of Science and Technology - the school he has always wanted to study. Minh does not intend to study abroad because his family's financial conditions are not enough, even with a high scholarship. However, the male student is still considering domestic international schools such as VinUni University to expand his development opportunities in the field of information technology.

Kim Ngan

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/nam-sinh-lop-12-gianh-diem-tuyet-doi-16001600-ky-thi-sat-chia-se-bi-quyet-lam-bai-thi-post408392.html