Faced with the trend of many schools promoting combined admissions, at this time, many students have proactively reviewed in parallel for the high school graduation exam and separate exams, starting from March. Learning pressure is therefore also increasing as students have to allocate time for many different forms of exams.
Nguyen Minh Khang, a 12th grade student in Tam Binh ward, said he will register to participate in the competency assessment (CE) exam of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City from the first phase.
I consider this exam as important as the high school graduation exam, because most universities in Ho Chi Minh City currently consider admission at the same time as the graduation exam results and competency assessment scores," Khang shared.
Similarly, Le Thao Nguyen, a 12th grade student in Ben Thanh ward, said she will participate in both the DGNL exam of Ho Chi Minh City National University and the input assessment exam on computers (V-SAT).
I have been preparing for the GDNL exam since 11th grade. Currently, in addition to reviewing graduation exam subjects, I spend two more sessions each week practicing competency assessment questions," Thao Nguyen said.
From the school's perspective, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh - Principal of Binh Chieu High School, said that the high school graduation exam according to the 2018 General Education Program has exam questions mainly within the curriculum, and the level is not too heavy.
Students only need to firmly grasp the knowledge in class to be eligible for graduation, it is not necessary to have extra classes rampant," Ms. Thanh said.
However, according to Ms. Thanh, if students wish to apply for university admission, they should actively participate in separate exams, especially the competency assessment exam of national universities.
This is an important "door" to help students expand their chances of being admitted to university," Ms. Thanh said.
According to the 2026 enrollment plan, up to this point, about 10 universities in Ho Chi Minh City will mainly enroll students using combined admission methods, based on high school graduation exam results, aptitude assessment scores and transcripts. The remaining schools will still consider admissions independently.
With the GDNL exam of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, in 2026, 2 exam phases will be organized, including phase 1 on April 5 and phase 2 on May 24.
Statistics show that in 2025, more than 100 universities used the results of this exam to apply for part of the quota.
The computer input assessment exam (V-SAT) is also organized by many schools such as: University of Finance - Marketing, University of Banking HCMC, University of Technology HCMC, University of Economics - Finance HCMC...
Regarding the specialized competency assessment exam of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, 2026 is expected to have 3 exam phases, of which phase 1 takes place at the end of March, and the remaining two phases at the beginning and end of May.
Some other universities in Ho Chi Minh City also organize aptitude tests to enroll students in specialized majors.
