On April 16, VNU-HCM announced information about the results of the first phase of the 2026 competency assessment exam.
The exam takes place on April 5, 2026 in 15 provinces and cities, with the coordination of 57 higher and higher education institutions. The entire exam has 57 exam clusters, 119 exam sites and nearly 10,000 officials participating in invigilation.
According to statistics, there were 135,756 registered candidates, of which more than 133,000 candidates took the exam, reaching a rate of 98.3%.
Candidates are mainly concentrated in Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast, South Central, Central Highlands, and Mekong Delta regions.
VNU-HCM said that the score distribution in phase 1 is in a near-standard distribution form, with average and mid-range scores both reaching 682 points. Standard deviation of 141.2 shows a reasonable level of dispersion, helping to classify candidates effectively.
About 30% of candidates achieved below 600 points, 55% below 700 points and only about 6% achieved 900 points or more, reflecting a clear stratification between competency groups. The valedictorian of the exam achieved 1,098 points.
Compared to 2025, this year's score distribution tends to shift slightly towards high scores, while the dispersion increases.
According to the plan, the exam results will be announced on April 17, 2026 through the online system. Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City continues to issue electronic certificates instead of paper copies to facilitate candidates and in line with the digital transformation trend.
Phase 2 of the exam is expected to be held on May 24, 2026 in 9 provinces and cities, registration time from April 18 to April 25, 2026.
