DGS is proud to congratulate Khuất Huy Đăng (K1) for achieving an outstanding 1590/1600 on the SAT - a score reached by less than 1% of students worldwide. This is an impressive accomplishment, not only because of the nearly-perfect score, but also because of the path Đăng chose: self-study, self-discipline, and pushing himself to excel without any extra tutoring, driven purely by his perseverance and determination at just 17 years old.

Đăng began preparing in August 2024 and maintained a steady self-study routine for nearly a year. The peak of his preparation was in summer 2025, when he practiced continuously - at least one hour every day and 1-2 full-length practice tests on weekends. He worked through all the mock tests available on the College Board and diligently attended SAT classes at school, repeating them until his scores averaged 1550-1600. Seeing how dedicated Đăng was, SAT's teacher at DGS provided additional practice tests and supported him throughout the preparation process. At the same time, he kept a journal to record every difficult question and mistake he made multiple times, writing down his own problem-solving methods in his own words. His test-taking strategy was straightforward: Reading & Writing were done in order, while Math he approached from the hardest to the easiest questions to avoid time pressure. In addition, Đăng also self-studied and achieved an IELTS 8.0 in September. A quiet, steady, and deliberate path - very much in line with Đăng’s spirit: move forward, not fast, but right.

Reflecting on his self-study experience, Đăng shared: “I realized that in self-study, nothing is more valuable than practice. Never underestimate the power of repetition. Once knowledge and skills become second nature, you’ll have the confidence to tackle even the toughest questions.”

Đăng took the SAT twice. His first attempt in May 2025 earned him 1510, a strong result for many first-time test-takers. Three months later, he returned to the exam room and raised his score to 1590. Remarkably, before the SAT, Đăng had never taken any large-scale standardized tests. “You could say the SAT was my very first real test experience,” he shared. Through persistence and determination, Đăng turned that first experience into an extraordinary leap.

When he saw his results, Đăng was genuinely surprised. “I didn’t expect my score to be this high. But I also feel that all my effort was truly worth it for this 1590.”

1590 is more than just a score . It is a testament to Đăng’s perseverance, self-study, and discipline. Even more, this result reflects the Cognition values that DGS emphasizes for all students: the ability to self-reflect and have agency over your own learning.