Nguyn Khuyn was smart but did not do good on tests but he still passed and got a Masters on the C nhn degree.
Although he was intelligent and knowledgeable, he did not initially fare well in his examinations. In 1864, he passed the Cu nhan degree (or: Huong Cong, Chinese: , the lowest degree of Vietnamese feudal educational system) at first-rate (Masters level) in Ha Noi. 
