America Before achieving a perfect score on the AP Calculus exam and becoming valedictorian in high school, Kaylee Nguyen often studied until 2-3 a.m.
Kaylee Nguyen (Nguyen Dieu Thao), 18, is a former student at Silver Creek High School in San Jose, California. Of the approximately 136,000 students who took the AP Calculus exam this year worldwide, only 16 achieved a perfect score, according to the College Board, which owns the exam, announced in late September.
"I was very surprised and proud of myself for achieving this difficult thing," said Kaylee. The student is of Vietnamese descent and moved to the US with her family in 2009, when she was only 4 years old.
Silver Creek High School Advanced Placement Math teacher Leena Guttal couldn’t sleep when she heard the news. Kaylee was her second student this year to score a perfect 108 on the test.
"In the past 28 years, I have had three students get perfect scores in AP Math. Kaylee is the first Vietnamese," Ms. Guttal shared.
Kaylee received her Silver Creek High School valedictorian medal in June. Photo: Character provided
AP is an advanced placement program that helps high school students become familiar with basic knowledge at the university level and increase their competitiveness when applying to this level of study. The test score is calculated based on two parts: multiple choice and essay, then converted on a scale of 1 to 5. Students who score 70-108 are counted as 5 points; 59-69 is equivalent to 4 points. The remaining levels are converted to 1-3 points.
Kaylee took the Calculus exam in May, which took her three hours and 15 minutes. She said the test wasn’t as difficult as it was in class or on a practice test. Part one consisted of 45 simple multiple-choice questions, while part two had six questions to answer. Kaylee answered each question in turn, then went back to any questions she wasn’t sure about. Overall, she focused more on part two, but it still took her about two-thirds of the time to complete.
"I had plenty of time to carefully review my work in both parts," Kaylee said.
According to Kaylee, her success was largely due to Ms. Guttal. Kaylee loved Math, but it wasn't until 11th grade, when she enrolled in Ms. Guttal's class, that she really invested her time and effort into the subject.
"I'm lucky to have a great teacher. She has an effective and inspiring way of teaching, which makes me enjoy learning Math more," said Kaylee.
Kaylee said that before each class, Ms. Guttal always gave her students quizzes to review the topics. There were quizzes and homework every day, and a test at the end of each week. To answer the questions, Kaylee had to study.
After class ended at 3 p.m., Ms. Guttal stayed for two more hours to guide the students. She also gave practice tests so that the students would not be confused when taking the real test. Many students were afraid of math and were worried when they signed up for Ms. Guttal’s class, but Kaylee always got A’s.
"Kaylee always does her best on the assignments. She is also very hard-working and creative. I enjoy grading Kaylee's work," said Ms. Guttal.
Kaylee and Ms. Guttal met in September at Silver Creek High School. Photo: Character provided
During her three years of high school, Kaylee enrolled in eight AP classes, five of which she scored a 5 on (after conversion), including Calculus BC, Statistics, Psychology, Calculus AB, and World History. The student believes that choosing which AP class to take depends on a student’s career orientation and major in college. Kaylee wants to study Biochemistry in college, so from high school on, she focused on AP classes related to Chemistry, Math, and Psychology.
Grade 12 was Kaylee's busiest and most stressful time, as she had to prepare her college applications, take four AP classes, participate in weekend volunteer activities, and tutor math.
At school, Kaylee tries to concentrate on her studies. Then, she teaches extra classes from 4pm to 8pm, then comes home to rest and study until 2-3am. In addition to doing exercises in the book, the student plows through previous years' exams to master the questions and types of exercises. Tutoring also helps Kaylee review her knowledge and earn extra income to save for college.
"With AP, you have to work hard, put in effort, and be consistent. Getting a perfect score may seem difficult, but if you set your mind to it, you can do it," Kaylee said.
In addition to the AP exam, Kaylee also scored 1490/1600 on the SAT with a maximum score of 800/800 in Math. The female student graduated as valedictorian from Silver Creek with a GPA of 4.4/4 (including AP scores) in early June and is currently a freshman majoring in Biochemistry at the University of California at San Diego. This is a top 30 school in the US, ranked 34th in the world in 2024, according to US News and THE rankings. With a perfect score in AP Calculus, the female student was exempted from 8 credits and skipped two Math classes in her first year of college.
The University of California at San Diego is a 7-8 hour drive from Kaylee’s home. Since moving into the dorms more than two weeks ago, Kaylee has gotten used to living away from home, although she still feels a little homesick at times. The student said she plans to pursue a medical degree after graduation.
"After more than a year of volunteering in the hospital, I realized I wanted to become a doctor to help people," Kaylee shared.
Parents attend Kaylee's high school graduation in June. Photo: Character provided
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