Female student from village school becomes valedictorian of Aptitude Test

With 126/150 points, Nguyen Phuong Thao (student of class 12A6, Hoai Duc A High School, Hanoi) became the valedictorian of the first round of the Hanoi National University's 2025 Competency Assessment (HSA) exam.

Hanoi National University has just announced the results of the first round of the 2025 High School Aptitude Assessment (HSA) exam. Nearly 11,000 candidates participated in this round, with the highest score being 126/150 and the second highest score being 125/150.

Nguyen Phuong Thao, a student of class 12A6, Hoai Duc A High School, Hanoi, is the valedictorian of the first round with 40/50 points in Mathematics and Data Processing, 41/50 points in Literature - Language and 45/50 points in the optional part (English).

Talking to Tien Phong reporter, Phuong Thao confided that as soon as she finished the test and received a score of 126/150, she was very happy and surprised because this was a number beyond her expectations.

“Because there were many talented students from all over the country taking the exam, I didn’t think I would be the one with the highest score. On the day the exam results were announced, I browsed social media and saw that 126/150 was the highest score this time. At that time, I was both happy and nervous,” Thao confided.

This female student also shared that she had previously taken the test several times but had never achieved such a high score.

Phuong Thao was born into a poor family in Yen So commune, Hoai Duc district, Hanoi with her father working as a worker and her mother working as an accountant. She is the eldest child in the family. Since childhood, Thao has shown her ability to learn quickly and her confidence in her learning ability. At the end of last year, she passed the IELTS test with a score of 7.5.

Nguyen Phuong Thao is the valedictorian of the first round of the HSA exam.

"It's not true that studying a lot will help you get high scores"

Sharing her secret to studying for the Aptitude Test, Phuong Thao said she had no special secret but just studied lightly. “I found the test quite difficult, with many time-consuming questions. The knowledge covered everything from grade 10 to grade 12. However, because I had a firm grasp of the knowledge from the beginning, I didn’t have too much difficulty with this test,” the valedictorian shared.

Thao said she only really spent time studying for the HSA exam after this year's Lunar New Year.

“I think you should prepare your mind to study as soon as possible because the knowledge in the exam is spread over three years of study. The more you study and grasp the knowledge, the easier it will be to review for the exam, without too much pressure. You don’t have to go to many review centers or teachers to get a high score,” Thao said.

Math is the only subject that Phuong Thao attends one extra class per week with a teacher near her house to supplement her advanced knowledge. For Literature and English, she systematizes all her knowledge and reads it many times before the exam.

“I mainly study in class. When the teachers lecture, I try to pay attention to absorb what I hear and learn. When I get home, I do a lot of homework, especially in Math, so I am quite confident in my knowledge,” Thao shared.

The secret to getting a high score on the exam, Thao believes, is that students who are studying for the upcoming exam should review old knowledge and practice solving questions to get used to it and get used to the speed. As for students in grades 10 or 11, try to learn the knowledge from now on so that when it is time to review, it will be easier.

Currently, Thao is focusing on studying to complete the high school graduation exam. This year, Phuong Thao plans to enroll in the Economics majors at the Foreign Trade University or the National Economics University.

Do Hop