The 10th grade entrance exam of the High School for the Gifted will take place on two days, May 23rd and 24th, about a week earlier than the 10th grade entrance exam of Ho Chi Minh City. For many students, this is not only an opportunity to enter the specialized high school environment but also an important "fire test" before the biggest exam of the school year.
These days, the school schedule of Nguyen Minh Anh, a 9th grade student in Ho Chi Minh City, is almost full for the whole week. In addition to official school hours, female students participate in specialized Math tutoring classes in the evening, and practice questions at the center on weekends to prepare for the entrance exam of the High School for the Gifted and the 10th grade exam of the city.
I registered for both exams because I want to have more opportunities to enter specialized schools. I also see the entrance exam to the High School for the Gifted as an opportunity to get used to the exam room pressure before the 10th grade exam in Ho Chi Minh City," Minh Anh shared.
Not only Minh Anh, many 9th grade students in Ho Chi Minh City this year choose to take parallel exams to the High School for the Gifted and specialized schools under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training such as Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted or Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted.
Phan Ho Khanh Thu said that she has registered to take the Chemistry specialized class exam of the High School for the Gifted, and at the same time placed the first wish for the Chemistry specialized class of Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted and the second wish for Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted.
According to Khanh Thu, participating in two exams at the same time is somewhat more difficult but also helps increase the opportunity to study in a specialized environment.
If both are simultaneously admitted, I will choose to study at the High School for the Gifted," Khanh Thu said.
According to many parents, participating in another exam helps students have more choices in the context of increasing competition for specialized 10th grade.
Ms. Tran Thu Ha, a parent whose child is taking the specialized exam this year, said that the family encourages their child to try their hand at many environments that suit their abilities. "My child studies quite well, so the family wants my child to have more opportunities. Although it is more stressful, this is also an opportunity for my child to rub shoulders and evaluate their abilities," she said.
In recent years, the High School for the Gifted has always attracted a large number of students registering for the exam. The average competition ratio usually ranges from 1/5 to 1/6.
Besides students in Ho Chi Minh City, the school also attracts many candidates from other provinces and cities to participate in the exam.
In the 2026-2027 school year, the Gifted High School enrolls 595 targets for 2 campuses.
The subjects of the exam are secondary school graduates, in the age of entering 10th grade according to the regulations in the Charter of secondary schools, high schools and general schools with multiple levels of education. Students must have years-round training and study results in secondary school grades from good or higher.
Candidates are required to take at least 4 exams, including 3 non-specialized subject exams (Math, Literature and English) and 1 specialized subject exam chosen from the following subjects: Math, Informatics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Literature and English.
Each candidate can register for a maximum of 2 specialized subjects.
In case of registering for 2 subjects, candidates need to choose 1 subject belonging to Group 1 and 1 subject belonging to Group 2 (candidates are not allowed to register for 2 specialized subjects belonging to the same group), specifically: Group 1: Math - Literature; Group 2: English - Physics - Chemistry - Biology - Informatics.
The non-specialized subject exam includes both essay and multiple-choice parts.
The specialized subject exam is essay. The English subject includes both essay and multiple-choice parts.
In 2025, the entrance exam to 10th grade of the High School for the Gifted recorded high competition with more than 3,500 candidates taking the exam. The average competition ratio is about 1/6, meaning that for every 6 candidates taking the exam, only 1 student is admitted.
Regarding benchmark scores, the specialized Math class leads with 33.75 points, while the remaining specialized classes range from about 24.4 to 33 points.
