With only a few days left, the 10th grade entrance exam for the 2026-2027 school year in Ho Chi Minh City will officially take place. This is also the period when many 9th grade students enter the most stressful review cycle, with a nearly full-day study schedule to consolidate knowledge and maintain the pace before the exam.
For candidates who aim to enter top schools, specialized classes or integrated programs, the study plan is divided according to each time frame from early morning to late at night. In addition to regular study time, many students also maintain direct extra classes, online learning and self-practice exam questions at home.
Phan Ho Khanh Thu, a student who has registered for the specialized Chemistry class, said that she is starting a new day from 4 am on days when she is not studying at school.
According to Khanh Thu, this is the easiest time to concentrate on memorizing the theory part of Chemistry. After studying for about 2 hours, I sleep more and then continue to review in the morning.
Evenings during the week are almost full of extra classes for Math, Literature, English and Chemistry. "I limit reading information about competition ratios because the more I read, the more pressure I feel. The important thing is to do my best in the exam room," Khanh Thu said.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Ngoc Bich Ngan, a candidate who registered for the English major (Project 5955) at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted and Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted, said that she studied almost full week to prepare for the exam.
Every day, Bich Ngan starts studying from 5:30 am with online classes, then attends regular classes at school until the afternoon. In the evening, the female student continues to study Math, Literature, English at the center or study with tutors.
Before, I had a few days off, but now I study almost a whole week. Even so, I still try to sleep on time to save energy," Bich Ngan shared.
Not only increasing the study time, many students also divide each review stage into smaller stages to optimize efficiency.
Doan Gia Han, a student who set a goal to enter Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, said that she clearly divides the days of direct study, online study and self-practice exam questions.
In addition to studying at school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Gia Han spends Tuesdays and Thursdays practicing exam questions, grading and reviewing the parts of knowledge that are still wrong. On weekends, she continues to study extra directly with teachers.
Sometimes I'm also tired and want to give up, but thinking this is my future, I have to continue to try," Gia Han said.
The 10th grade high school entrance exam for the 2026-2027 school year in Ho Chi Minh City will take place on June 1 and 2. 2026. Candidates take 3 subjects including Literature, Mathematics and Foreign Language 1.
For candidates registering for specialized or integrated classes, they will take an additional specialized or integrated subject exam according to regulations.
This year's exam has more than 151,000 students participating, while the total target for public high schools is about 180,000 students.
