"I was thrilled and surprised by the result," he shared.

"Right after the test, I thought I might have a shot at a perfect score, but I wasn’t sure. While waiting for the results, I kept thinking about the questions I might have gotten wrong. I was nervous and couldn’t quite believe it when the final score came in."

Duy emphasized that excelling in the SAT requires more than just a strong foundation in English - it also demands sharp reasoning and logical thinking. However, he found the SAT questions to be somewhat less challenging than certain problems on Vietnam’s high school graduation exams.

Interestingly, he believes an extremely high level of English proficiency isn’t a prerequisite. Last year, he earned a 7.0 on the IELTS, with just a 6.5 in Reading.

“The key to my result was perseverance,” Duy said. “The most important thing is not giving up.”

In fact, Duy’s SAT journey didn’t start with success. On his first attempt, he scored just 1,250.

“I practiced with sample tests and question types regularly,” he recalled. “Whenever I got something wrong or struggled with a question, I made a separate file to analyze where I was lacking - whether it was a vocabulary issue, a logic gap, or misunderstanding a concept.”

“Then I focused on those weak spots, doing detailed drills and exercises to improve. The more deeply I studied, the better I could recognize and respond to similar question types later.”

This “never give up” mindset also helped Duy during his earlier high school entrance exams.

Back then, his parents had prioritized giving him a carefree childhood rather than stressing academics. But to get into Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Secondary School, he needed to score around 8.5 per subject on the entrance exam.

“In the first semester of grade 9, I was placed in a group considered unlikely to make it into top public schools,” he recalled. “That was discouraging, but I was determined to improve. I dedicated all my time to studying, especially Math, and eventually moved up to the better-performing group.”

“I set my goal on one of the top public schools in the area and worked hard for it. In the end, my efforts paid off.”

Balancing SAT prep and regular schoolwork was tough.

To maintain high grades in class while studying for the SAT, Duy had to manage his time with precision.

“I tried to absorb lessons in class as much as possible and finish assignments during school hours. That way, I could reserve evenings and weekends for SAT prep.”

To improve his English vocabulary, he used short videos on YouTube and social media.

“I like learning through videos. It’s more engaging and less boring,” he said. “When I hear a new word or don’t understand something, I look it up and write it down to review daily.”

He also changed the display language of his social media accounts to English, creating an immersive environment for casual, daily exposure to vocabulary and natural usage in different contexts.

Despite his impressive achievement, Duy has never won academic medals or prizes at any level.

“My story proves that achieving a perfect SAT score isn’t limited to students from elite schools or those with a trophy shelf full of awards,” he said. “With determination and persistence, anyone can reach goals they once thought impossible.”

Duy also credits his success to the support of a close friend.

“Sometimes, I was on the verge of giving up. But encouraging words and shared moments from a special friend helped me recharge and push through.”

Now, with a perfect SAT score in hand, Duy dreams of studying abroad.

He plans to apply to computer science programs at universities in the U.S. and Finland.

“I hope to not only gain admission but also secure a scholarship. That makes the challenge even tougher, but it also motivates me more,” he said.

For now, though, his priority is to finish the final year of high school strong.

He is working hard to achieve the highest possible GPA for the first semester of grade 12 and is in the process of finalizing his personal statements and college essays.

Thanh Hung