Pham Tran Tien Khanh achieved a perfect SAT score on his second attempt, IELTS 8.0 from grade 11 - Photo: NGUYEN BAO
SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) is a popular standardized test, often used for admission to universities in the US, Europe... The SAT includes math, reading, and writing sections, with a total score of 1,600.
A perfect SAT score is no surprise.
In the May 2025 SAT exam, Pham Tran Tien Khanh, grade 12 English, Bac Ninh High School for the Gifted, achieved a perfect score of 1,600/1,600.
Previously, in December 2024, after a month of studying, Khanh took the SAT for the first time, aiming for 1,580/1,600. However, the test was canceled for unknown reasons, the test results are not known, forcing him to take the test again.
"In the previous practice tests and official exam papers, I always got a score of 1,550/1,600 or higher. When I took the exam the second time, I set a target of 1,590 and only allowed myself to get one wrong. When I left the exam room, I thought I had gotten a perfect score, so I wasn't surprised when I found out the result," Khanh said.
To achieve the above results, the male student said he did not attend any SAT review center or extra class, only paying the exam fee twice.
Before getting a perfect score on the SAT, Khanh had many outstanding achievements in English, including winning first prize in the English competition for excellent students in Bac Ninh city in grade 6; winning second prize in the English competition for excellent students at the school level in grade 7 (did not take the city level exam due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic).
In grades 8 and 9, the male student continued to win first prize in the provincial English competition and was admitted directly to Bac Ninh High School for the Gifted.
In grades 11 and 12, Khanh won second prize in the national English competition; he scored 8.0 on the IELTS test from grade 11.
Khanh majored in English, but said that since 11th grade he discovered that he also especially liked math, thanks to which he maintained quite good academic results. In particular, in the second semester of 11th grade, he achieved an average score of 9.9 in math; in 12th grade, he achieved above 9.5.
Is there a secret to getting a perfect score on the SAT?
Khanh said that when he saw people who had taken SAT preparation courses at centers and achieved 1,600 points, he thought the centers had some special secret. However, Khanh changed his mind when he took the actual test.
Accordingly, for the first SAT test in December 2024, Khanh studied 1 month in advance; for the second test in May 2025, the male student only studied 3 weeks in advance.
"Instead of studying according to the methods of online centers, I chose to study by myself; join online groups to download real exam questions from previous exams to practice. From there, I can draw my own experiences, learn about the way the exam organizing council thinks about questions and asks questions," Khanh shared.
Khanh commented that the math part of the SAT exam is much easier than the math in Vietnam, but candidates can lose points because they do not understand the questions, do not have enough vocabulary, or mistake the word "multiple" for "factor"...
As for the English test, Khanh said it was more difficult than the math test, but it was only difficult when candidates did not understand how the board created the test questions.
"The reading comprehension section is always very emotional, each person has a different way of thinking. I'm familiar with the way the questions are set, so it's easy to absorb," Khanh said, adding that this is also the reason why he regularly reviews official exam questions, to stick to the exam thinking.
Khanh added that before, when he participated in the national English team training, he had the mindset of "plowing the test", but then realized that this was not the best way to learn. Khanh started to combine watching movies and reading English news to both improve his skills and absorb practical information.
To realize his passion for programming, Khanh is currently using his SAT 1,600/1,600 certificate and IELTS 8.0 to participate in the talent selection for the data science and artificial intelligence major at Hanoi University of Science and Technology.
On the morning of June 22, Khanh was one of 13 candidates participating in the talent selection exam and was awarded by Hanoi University of Science and Technology for their high academic achievements.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nam-sinh-bac-ninh-dat-1-600-sat-co-ielts-8-0-tu-lop-11-20250622182727357.htm
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