Many universities organize their own exams.
Speaking to Lao Dong, Khanh Huyen - a 12th grade student at Tran Hung Dao High School (Ha Dong District, Hanoi) - said that she and her friends are "watching" for information about the registration schedule and the thinking assessment test of Hanoi University of Science and Technology and the Aptitude Assessment Test of Hanoi National University so that they can register early and participate right from the first round of exams. "If I don't register early, I'm afraid of network congestion. I hope that if I can take the exam 1-2 times, the chance of passing the university entrance exam to the desired school will be higher" - Khanh Huyen shared. Recently, Hanoi University of Science and Technology has informed about the plan to organize 3 rounds of thinking assessment (TSA) exams in January - April 2025 with 3 rounds, at 30 exam locations, of which the first round will open for registration from December 1 to 6, 2024 and is expected to take place on January 18 and 19, 2025.
Up to now, in addition to the high school graduation exam, a series of schools have organized their own exams for enrollment in 2025 such as: Hanoi National University's Competency Assessment Exam; Ho Chi Minh City National University's Thinking Assessment Exam; Hanoi University of Science and Technology's Competency Assessment Exam; Ho Chi Minh City University of Education's Competency Assessment Exam; V-SAT Exam; Separate exams of universities in the police and military sectors...
Private exams are increasingly widespread and the range of schools using the results of these exams for admissions is growing rapidly.
To have more opportunities to enter university, Do Thuy Duong, a student at Viet Duc High School (Hanoi), in addition to studying according to the curriculum in class to prepare for the high school graduation exam, also spends time reviewing for the competency assessment exam.
"University admission based on high school graduation exam scores is becoming increasingly difficult. I have studied and obtained an IELTS certificate of 6.5 but I am still not confident because many students have IELTS certificates much higher than me. Therefore, my orientation is to invest a lot in reviewing for the competency assessment exam" - Thuy Duong shared.
The female student believes that the increasing trend of having more separate exams for university admission is both an opportunity and a challenge because each exam has its own structure, scope of knowledge, and different types of questions, forcing students to prepare carefully.
Proposal to maintain a certain admission rate based on high school graduation exam scores
According to the Ministry of Education and Training, schools use more than 20 admission methods, most of which are early admission (not using high school graduation exam scores). Early admission methods mainly include considering academic records, test scores to assess ability and thinking, considering international certificates (SAT, ACT, IELTS...) or a combination of the above factors.
Last year, 214 out of 322 schools offered early admission. The number of candidates admitted under this program was more than 375,500, of which 147,400 were first-choice (nearly 40%).
Dr. Le Viet Khuyen - Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese Universities and Colleges, former Deputy Director of the Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Education and Training) - has repeatedly expressed concern that organizing separate exams for university admissions seems to have become a trend in recent years.
"Many schools organize additional exams to assess capacity and thinking, while there is still a high school graduation exam. Is this in line with the spirit of reducing the burden of exams for students?" - Mr. Khuyen raised the question.
Sharing the same view, Mr. Dinh Duc Hien - Vice Principal of FPT Bac Giang Inter-level High School - said that although schools have autonomy in enrollment, they still need to consider the issue of fairness, especially maintaining an appropriate enrollment rate.
In 2025, students studying under the 2018 General Education Program will take the graduation exam. To match the program, the 2025 high school graduation exam has many new points, including the content and difficulty of the exam.
"At present, the 2025 high school graduation exam sample is highly appreciated and is completely capable of classifying students. The classification is even better than some current competency assessment exams. In my opinion, it is very suitable as a basis for university admissions because it can recruit candidates on a wide scale, select quality candidates from different provinces and cities, and ensure fairness. Schools will also not need to spend money on organizing separate exams," said Mr. Hien.
Tighten early admission
On November 22, the Ministry of Education and Training announced the draft regulations on university admissions in 2025, including new points related to early admission.
According to the draft, schools will be allowed to consider early to select candidates with outstanding abilities and academic achievements. However, the early admission quota will not exceed 20%, and the admission score will not be lower than the standard score of the admission round according to the general plan of the ministry.
Admission scores in all methods and combinations will be converted to a common scale. This means that schools cannot simultaneously use a 30-point scale when considering transcripts or high school graduation exam results and a 150-point scale when considering competency assessment test scores as before.
