Score pressure
In the morning, studying at school, in the afternoon, continuing to go to class to review, sometimes lasting until 6 pm, Duong Yen Nhi - a 9th grade student in Hoang Mai ward (Hanoi) is trying to accelerate preparations for the 10th grade entrance exam. The female student said that Math is the subject that causes the most pressure because there is still a lack of knowledge, causing the review process to encounter many difficulties. “I set a goal to try every day, not to study intensively but to review partly. Outside of class hours, I do more exercises myself, ask teachers about the places I don't understand so as not to have knowledge gaps” - Yen Nhi said.
The female student expects that the 3rd subject in 10th grade this year will continue to be English. This is a highly applicable subject, creating motivation for students to invest more in foreign languages. Yen Nhi believes that the most suitable time to announce the 3rd subject is at the end of January, not too early to avoid skewed learning, and not too late, to help students have enough time to prepare and orient their review.
And Le Nguyen Minh Toan - a 9th grade student at Marie Curie campus Van Phu - said that he had just participated in the first mock exam of Luong The Vinh Secondary and High School and was waiting for the results. "The exam questions closely follow the structure of the department, but the Math subject has exercises with the content of the second semester program, so it's a bit difficult. I'm trying to review to get the best results" - Toan shared.
Setting the goal of passing 10th grade of public high school, Do Kim Ngan - a 9th grade student in Cau Giay ward (Hanoi) - plans to register her aspirations for Tran Nhan Tong High School - a school that she believes has a benchmark score suitable for her current abilities and learning process. The female student also expressed her wish that the entrance exam to 10th grade will take place in mid-June so that students have time to review effectively and maintain a stable psychology.
Advice for exam takers
Faced with score pressure and important choices ahead, not only students but also parents are worried. However, many parents have chosen to accompany their children.
Ms. Hoang Thu Huong - a 9th grade student's parent in Yen Hoa ward (Hanoi) - affirmed that her family always tries to keep their children calm, study regularly and not too worried about scores. According to Ms. Huong, mock exams are a necessary stepping stone for students to get used to exam pressure and self-assess their abilities.
Every time my child takes a mock exam, the family does not blame right or wrong, but together with my child review the exam, point out knowledge gaps to adjust learning methods. The most important thing is to make my child understand, parents always be by my side, support and empower my child before the important exam" - Ms. Huong shared.
Giving advice to candidates in the final stage, Ms. Le Minh Hang - a teacher at Van Binh Secondary School (Hanoi) - said that the first important thing is that students need to maintain physical and mental health with "three enoughs": Eat enough nutrients, sleep enough and exercise enough. Regarding study, Ms. Hang advises students to divide goals into smaller parts, instead of worrying about the entire exam, focus on completing each task well in the day.
The female teacher said that the roadmap for effective review can be divided into three stages. In the systematization stage, students should use a mindset diagram to firmly grasp the basic knowledge, avoid rote learning. Next, in the exam preparation stage, students need to select materials, not do exams indiscriminately but must draw experience after each lesson, identify common questions and typical errors. Finally, in the stage of optimizing scores, students need to focus on presentation skills and allocate exam time reasonably.
In addition, Ms. Hang also emphasized the role of parents as the most important spiritual support for students. Instead of just paying attention to grades, parents should listen to their children's emotions, acknowledge their efforts even if they are small, and create a learning environment with a quiet space and a nutritious meal. In particular, parents need to adjust their expectations to suit their children's actual abilities.
