This year's exam has 1,223,776 registered candidates, an increase of more than 61,000 compared to last year; the online registration rate reached 98.45% - the highest ever. It is expected that the whole country will organize 2,487 exam sites with nearly 50,000 exam rooms.
Testing but actually operating" nationwide
Representatives of the Ministry of Education and Training said that in 2026, the exam will be more favorable as localities have stabilized the organizational model; the whole country still has 34 Departments of Education and Training and participating forces have gained more experience in directing and organizing exams.
One of the contents that the ministry particularly emphasizes is the requirement for localities to organize mock exams according to the correct procedures of the real exam. The mock exam is not only limited to the stage of having students make exam questions, but must fully operate all steps from printing exam questions, invigilating, collecting papers to handling related technical procedures.
At the Central Reporter Conference in June 2026 organized by the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission on the afternoon of May 25, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tien Thao said that so far, 100% of localities have plans and organized mock exams for students.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, mock exam results not only help students get used to exam room pressure, but also help localities assess teaching quality, classify students and adjust review plans. The trial operation of the entire process also helps to limit passivity in stages prone to errors.
The organization of mock exams has helped localities gradually get used to the way the exam is organized, candidates are calmer and more confident when taking the exam, contributing to ensuring the exam takes place safely, seriously, and in accordance with regulations" - Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tien Thao emphasized.
Innovation towards capacity assessment
The 2026 high school graduation exam basically remains stable as in 2025 to avoid causing disruption to students. However, the exam questions continue to be innovated in the direction of assessing competence, increasing practical application questions, instead of just checking knowledge memorization.
The exam content is within the high school program, mainly in grade 12, but there are still some questions belonging to grade 10 and 11 knowledge. The proportion of differentiated questions will increase compared to previous years.
Multiple-choice exams continue to have many types of questions such as choosing answers, correct/wrong and short answers. The scores in the exam are not evenly distributed for all questions, but are distributed according to difficulty. The Literature subject is tested in essay form, using materials outside textbooks.
The Ministry of Education and Training also requires schools to innovate review methods, increase practice, experience, and group discussions; limit rote learning. In parallel with innovating exam questions, the ministry continues to strengthen the application of information technology in organizing the exam. Data transmission between exam councils and the ministry is optimized through the exam management system, reducing manual stages.
Exam notification papers and exam cards are integrated into a single type of paper. Temporary graduation certificates and exam result certificates are also combined into "Exam result certificates", in order to reduce procedures for candidates. To date, all provinces and cities have established Provincial-level Exam Steering Committees, assigning specific tasks to each member; and at the same time reviewing exam registration dossiers, arranging exam rooms, printing exam notification papers and preparing contingency plans, especially in localities that have just merged into provincial-level administrative units.
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, localities continue to review exam registration dossiers, arrange exam rooms, print exam notification papers and prepare contingency plans for arising situations, especially in localities that have just merged into provincial-level administrative units.
The Ministry of Education and Training reminds localities to "absolutely not be subjective", especially in stages related to exam question security, security at exam sites and transportation of exam questions and papers.
