Phan Le Thuc Bao, 2nd year student majoring in computer science at the University of Natural Sciences (Ho Chi Minh City National University)
PHOTO; NVCC
5 times of competency assessment, 2 times valedictorian
Phan Le Thuc Bao, a second-year student majoring in computer science at the University of Natural Sciences (Ho Chi Minh City National University), became the valedictorian of the first round of the Ho Chi Minh City National University's 2025 aptitude test. The valedictorian's score in this test was 1,060 (on a scale of 1,200). Of which, 233 points were in Vietnamese, 257 points in English, 270 points in math, and 300 points in scientific thinking.
What's more special is that Phan Le Thuc Bao was the valedictorian of the Ho Chi Minh City National University's competency assessment exam 2 years ago. In the second round of the Ho Chi Minh City National University's competency assessment exam in 2023, the 12th grade male student of Quoc Hoc High School for the Gifted ( Hue ) became the valedictorian with the highest achievement in the history of this exam with a score of 1,133/1,200. In the first round of the 2023 exam, Thuc Bao also scored over 1,000.
Thuc Bao said he has participated in the Ho Chi Minh City National University's aptitude test 5 times and made a record by being the valedictorian twice (twice in 2023, twice in 2024 and once in 2025). It can be said that this outstanding achievement is unprecedented in the exam. In this year's exam, Bao participated when he was a second-year student. Bao said he took the exam to learn about the new exam format and structure. "I am a second-year student majoring in computer science at the University of Natural Sciences. I do not intend to take the exam for admission to other majors," the male student shared.
Phan Le Thuc Bao was once the valedictorian with the highest score on the Ho Chi Minh City National University's aptitude test.
PHOTO: NVCC
3 essential elements to do well on the aptitude test
The valedictorian of the first batch of the 2025 Ho Chi Minh City National University Competency Assessment Exam made a special impression with a perfect score of 300/300 in the scientific thinking section - the section that most candidates consider the "most difficult" in the new type of competency assessment exam. This section is not only a test of knowledge, but also a measure of analytical, critical and logical thinking abilities at a high level.
Sharing the secret to achieving a perfect score of 300 in the scientific thinking section of the new test, Thuc Bao said: "Actually, the scientific thinking section does not require knowledge in the subjects of physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, economic education and law. All the necessary formulas, concepts and data are presented in the materials. You only need a little very basic background knowledge, which you have all learned in secondary school. This section requires a lot of reading comprehension and reasoning skills, along with mathematical processing in natural sentences. Therefore, the advice is that you should practice those abilities, true to the meaning of the name of the ability assessment".
According to Bao, many candidates in the first round recently got low scores because they were afraid that this part was new and strange, so they left it to the end and had to "fail" a lot. "This is a pity because the difficulty of this part in the recent exam was not high. Therefore, you have to arrange a strategy to allocate time reasonably, not skip easy questions. Along with that, you have to dare to do new questions, strange questions, calmly read the material and you will be able to do it," Bao analyzed.
To do well on the exam with the new structure this year, the valedictorian said that three essential factors are: mastering basic knowledge, cultivating reasoning ability and preparing a stable mentality. Among them, accumulating knowledge and experience, cultivating reasoning and thinking ability play the most important role. The results of this exam are a testament to that.
"I always believe that studying is not for exams but for thinking. The way the test questions this year are asked is very suitable for this way of studying. The test results cannot be obtained after a practice test or a review session but are the result of accumulation and practice over a long period of time," Thuc Bao shared.
"To solve a large number of questions, 120 questions in 150 minutes of the ability assessment test, is really stressful for you. Besides focusing highly when doing the test, I think you need to prepare your knowledge and skills carefully, not only to get used to the time pressure but also to find out the exam room strategy such as time and order of doing each part," Bao shared.
In addition, Bao shared with candidates: "The competency assessment exam requires candidates to have comprehensive knowledge and abilities. Therefore, absolutely do not memorize or study lopsidedly, but try to learn well the basic core knowledge, especially the math, Vietnamese, and English sections."
Regarding the new scores of this year's exam, the candidate who scored 1,060 points in the first round of the exam said that this year's exam did not require in-depth knowledge from many subjects. Therefore, candidates need to focus more on improving their test-taking skills and exam room strategies.
Currently, Thuc Bao is an active member in the career counseling activities of the Faculty of Information Technology, University of Natural Sciences (Ho Chi Minh City National University). Sharing about the smart review strategy to achieve high scores in the competency assessment exam, Thuc Bao said that the learning motto he always pursues is: learn the essence, know how to think - not just study for the exam. The owner of the title of valedictorian with the highest score in the history of the competency assessment exam also believes that this learning method helps students understand deeply, remember for a long time, and apply flexibly in all types of questions.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bi-quyet-cua-thu-khoa-dat-diem-cao-nhat-lich-su-thi-danh-gia-nang-luc-185250419175650659.htm
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