Ho Chi Minh City 10th grade valedictorian scored 10 in math thanks to not memorizing by heart

Nguyen Minh Anh, valedictorian of the 10th grade exam in Ho Chi Minh City in 2024

How to get perfect score

On the morning of June 19, Nguyen Minh Anh, a 9/1 student at Tran Quang Khai Secondary School (Tan Phu District), received her 10th grade exam results while traveling with her family, an activity she often does to relieve stress. The female student said she was "not surprised" to get a score of 10 in math, English and 8.75 in literature, but was shocked to learn that she had become the valedictorian of the 10th grade exam in Ho Chi Minh City in 2024.

"I put my first choice into Nguyen Thuong Hien High School (Tan Binh District) with the dream of studying medicine to become a doctor," Minh Anh excitedly said.

When asked about the secret to getting a 10 in math, a result only 49/98,400 candidates achieved, Minh Anh said she did not memorize the types of questions, especially practical math questions because "there are so many types, even if teachers give her practice, it is difficult to 'hit the mark'". Instead, the female student practices logical thinking and reflexes, while also mastering basic knowledge to find the right solution from the "root".

"In class, I pay attention to the teachers explaining different methods of doing exercises. Then, I go home and study them and do similar exercises based on that method. I also go to the bookstore to buy reference materials such as math books and problem-solving books to study and practice more," Minh Anh shared.

When entering the exam room, the female student said she set a specific time limit to solve all the questions except geometry question c within 1 hour. However, because this year question c was "quite easy" for Minh Anh, while practical math had many difficult problems, the female student chose to reallocate her time, spending an additional 15 minutes on practical math questions. "The important thing is to stay calm and sit down to think about the problem," she said.

The female student also applies the same principle to literature. Minh Anh said that for the literary essay, she did not study carefully or even memorize how to do it like her peers, but only briefly reviewed the author and the work, "because if she did not know this information, she would not be able to write it herself." "As for the feelings and arguments, I wrote them all based on my own thoughts," Minh Anh shared.

In the social argument question, when the question asked to analyze "thinking with the heart" instead of thinking with the mind as usual, Minh Anh did not choose to lean completely to one side but "half agreed, half disagreed".

"I was lucky to find two examples that fit my argument. The first is the story of Diana Nyad, a 64-year-old woman who followed her heart and swam nearly 180 km from Cuba to the US. The second is the case of a Harvard student who was expelled for not following school rules, even though he decided to return a book he had secretly borrowed after the school's library caught fire," Minh Anh recalled.

Minh Anh at the graduation ceremony at Tran Quang Khai Secondary School (Tan Phu District)

As for English, Minh Anh said that because she already had a B2 certificate (according to the 6-level foreign language proficiency framework for Vietnam), she did not have any difficulty with any questions. In addition to learning vocabulary and grammar, the valedictorian added that she often reads English versions of classic works such as The Call of the Wild and White Fang by American writer Jack London.

Try your best in your strong subjects.

After 4 years at Tran Quang Khai Secondary School, Minh Anh achieved an average score of 9.7. Not only that, she also received the 3rd prize for excellent students at the city level in Biology in grade 9, and the Violympic prize at the city level in Math in grade 6. "I don't have any special secret, mainly studying all subjects evenly so as not to run out of breath, trying to develop in subjects that I have strengths in and constantly challenging myself through exams," the valedictorian shared.

"In the tests, even if I can't do the difficult questions, I still have to spend time checking from beginning to end to make sure I don't lose any points on the easy questions instead of spending all my time doing the difficult questions," Minh Anh commented.

In addition to studying in class, the female student said that her family also invited a tutor to come to her house in the evening to tutor her for some exam subjects, with a schedule from Monday to Saturday, each session lasting 2 hours. And although grade 9 is a key year for revision, the female student said that her study schedule is not "hectic" but is similar to previous school years.

"In my free time, besides reading comics and traveling with my family, I also draw to relieve stress because I have a talent for this field. I love drawing landscapes and still life the most," Minh Anh said.

"I want to thank my parents very much for always being the ones who gave me a lot of motivation, always cheering me on every journey. I also thank my teachers in class for always giving me enthusiastic guidance. In addition, I also admire my family doctor. He is the one who inspired me to try to study really hard, so that in the future I can pursue a meaningful job like him", the valedictorian of the 10th grade exam in Ho Chi Minh City confided.

Teaching Minh Anh for the past 4 years, Ms. Do Thanh Loan, a literature teacher at Tran Quang Khai Secondary School, commented that her student is always self-disciplined, has a solid method of doing exercises, and completes well the assigned learning tasks, from homework to group activities. "Before the exam, I only gave her one task: to become valedictorian, and luckily she achieved it," Ms. Loan said with a smile.

“Every year, she always tries to complete my assignments early and always comes to me to ask for corrections on words and ideas, even if they are just my passing words, or small, general assignments. If she can do them, she does them, if she can’t, she doesn’t, because she knows that her students still have to study many other subjects, especially in grade 9. Her creativity, effort, and initiative always make me feel secure in her,” Ms. Loan added.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thu-khoa-thi-lop-10-tphcm-dat-diem-10-mon-toan-nho-khong-thuoc-long-may-moc-185240619124253436.htm