11th grader scores in top 1% of SAT score in world on first try

With a score of 800/800 in the Math section and 740/800 in the Reading section on his first attempt, Quang Nam is in the top 1% of candidates with the highest SAT scores in the world , according to the College Board, the organization that owns this test.

Previously, around May this year, Nam set a goal of taking the SAT to apply to some American schools such as New York University, Cornell University, Oxford University (UK). Having an advantage in English and starting to study for the IELTS certificate since grade 5, these foundations supported Nam in the SAT preparation process.

“When I started, the Math section was a bit new to me. I set a goal of getting about 1,500 and practiced a lot of questions,” Nam said.

Nguyen Quang Nam, 17 years old, student of Luong The Vinh Secondary and High School.

The SAT consists of two parts: Reading Comprehension and Math, with increasing difficulty. In the Reading Comprehension section, Nam thinks the most difficult part is the fill-in-the-blank section because the words that need to be filled in are often new and unfamiliar. However, Nam often applies the method of guessing the meaning of positive or negative words.

“Difficult reading comprehension questions often appear in module 2. I overcome them by reading the questions and analyzing them carefully, but still have to focus on speed,” Nam said.

According to Nam, when doing this part, you need to concentrate, even if you don't know the meaning of the words in the passage, you can still rely on the context to answer the question. Doing this part is necessary to achieve a breakthrough score.

In the Math section, this is the section Nam is most confident in because most of the content is closely related to basic knowledge, as long as you have a firm grasp of this knowledge and can apply the formulas, you can complete it well. "The content in the Math section only requires a firm grasp of the basic formulas combined with careful practice and calculation to achieve a perfect score," Nam noted.

11th grader scores in top 1% of SAT in world on first attempt - 2

Nam said that the biggest mistake he and many other students often make when starting to study for the SAT is applying the IELTS reading method of skimming and scanning to the SAT test.

For example, with the type of question that asks about the structure of a reading passage, using the skim and scan method, although it helps candidates understand the general idea of the passage, often does not help them find the exact structure, leading to incorrect structure identification and incorrect answer choices. Therefore, Nam believes that candidates need to understand the content of the passage clearly to avoid making incorrect choices.

Finally, Nam believes that the time for the SAT test is just enough for candidates to complete all sections of the test, so they should not get carried away with any one question and must control their time.

“I think you shouldn’t put too much pressure on yourself with this exam, because this is a type of certificate that students can retake many times. So, just be confident and show your abilities,” Nam said.

(Source: Vietnamnet)

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