Regarding the major orientations of the Project to organize the high school graduation exam on computers, Prof. Dr. Huynh Van Chuong - Director of the Department of Quality Management (Ministry of Education and Training) affirmed that the transition from paper exams to computer exams is to innovate the tools and exam organization process, while the goal of assessing the output standards of the general education program is still kept stable.
Mr. Chuong assessed that the computer-based exam format helps reduce manual steps, increase the ability to record the exam process, organize many exam sessions with standardized questions, limit errors caused by humans, and at the same time expand the evaluation form and improve security, monitoring, traceability and post-inspection capabilities.
A very important point is that many people are misunderstanding that computer-based exams are exams through the Internet. According to the proposed model, exam questions are transmitted through the security channel of the Government Cipher Committee to the server at the exam site; candidates do the test in an internal LAN network, not connected to the Internet. This model limits the exam depending on the Internet connection and limits the risk of direct attacks from the Internet environment" - Mr. Chuong said.
Applying technology to minimize subjective human intervention
According to Mr. Chuong, one of the important orientations of the project is to apply technology to maximize automation of stages that can be automated, thereby minimizing errors and limiting subjective human intervention. At the same time, the system still ensures a mechanism for control, supervision and responsibility of officials in stages that require human participation.
The technologies are expected to focus on data security, automation of exam organization and grading processes, and AI application research to support the development of a question bank. AI only plays a supporting role, and the development, appraisal, and approval of questions are still carried out by a team of experts.
In addition, the project requires the data of exam questions and papers to be secured and encrypted; a system to decentralize, record operational logs and have backup plans to ensure information security.
Ensuring fairness for all candidates is a consistent principle
Prof. Dr. Huynh Van Chuong affirmed that ensuring fairness is a prerequisite in the entire project implementation process.
Computer-based exam organization will be implemented according to a roadmap, only applied in localities and exam sites that fully meet the conditions on facilities, technical infrastructure and human resources; not deployed simultaneously when conditions between regions are not guaranteed. Students must be familiarized with the exam format in advance; localities must have plans to support students with less computer access.
In the transitional phase, the project plans to organize parallel paper and computer exams in localities and exam sites that meet the conditions. The organization must ensure equivalence in terms of evaluation requirements and the value of using the results between the two methods.
According to the expected roadmap for 2027, candidates taking exams on computers and on paper will use the same exam content for multiple-choice subjects, differing mainly in the method of doing the test and recording results.
For organizing multiple exam sessions, the exam questions are not necessarily identical but must be equivalent in terms of content, difficulty and measuring ability. Only when the equivalence between exam questions is ensured through a standardized question bank, practical testing and scientific testing methods can multiple sessions be organized, ensuring that candidates do not have advantages or disadvantages due to taking the exam in a specific session.
Regarding the risk of exam leakage when organizing multiple exam sessions, Mr. Chuong said that this is a risk that is calculated right from the system design stage. The exam questions of each session are selected from a sufficiently large question bank, encrypted and only transferred to the exam site close to the exam time through a security channel. The sessions use different exam questions but must ensure equivalence; at the same time, the exam organization process must have security measures suitable to the characteristics of organizing multiple sessions.
For situations such as power outages, engine failures or software errors, the project requires backup machines, backup power sources, appropriate handling procedures and plans to ensure the rights of candidates.
For students with disabilities or special support needs, support will be registered, verified and arranged before the exam, ensuring that candidates can access the exam but does not change the assessment requirements of the exam subject.
Deploy cautiously, do not chase the progress when safety and fairness are not ensured
To ensure feasibility and implementation roadmap, the Ministry of Education and Training has organized many test runs of exam questions on computers. The test runs in April and May 2026 were implemented in 15 provinces and cities with 36,178 candidates and about 143,000 exam sessions. Initial results show that the system operates stably and has the ability to be implemented in the actual conditions of Vietnam.
However, this is only the initial result. The Ministry will continue to comprehensively assess the stability of the system, the equivalence between exam questions, the ability to handle incidents, the level of convenience and ease of use for candidates and the conditions to ensure safety and security before expanding deployment" - Director of the Department of Information Quality Management.
According to the proposed roadmap, from 2027, it is expected to be implemented at some exam sites that fully meet the conditions according to regulations; after each stage, evaluation and completion will be organized before considering expansion, not running after the schedule when safety and fairness are not ensured. The standard requirements for technology, human resources and organizational procedures will be specifically guided by the Ministry when the project is approved by competent authorities and allowed to be implemented.
Along with that, the question bank will continue to be built, appraised, tested and adjusted according to the standardization process, ensuring equivalence between exam questions and exam sessions. After each testing phase, the Ministry will evaluate and complete before expanding the scope of implementation, aiming to organize computer-based multiple-choice subjects nationwide when conditions are met.
Mr. Chuong advised students to focus on knowledge and abilities according to the general education program.
Computers only change the way of doing the test, do not change the learning content and requirements of the exam. The Ministry of Education and Training will coordinate with localities and schools to provide free practical tools, so that students can fully get acquainted before participating in the exam" - Mr. Chuong emphasized.
