Trends from candidates' "safe" choices
In the 2026 high school graduation exam, History subject recorded an increase in the number of registered candidates compared to previous years.
Some students said that choosing History in the graduation exam is because it is suitable for their learning orientation or to "safely score" in the important exam.
Sharing with reporters, Do Ngoc Lan Anh - a 12th-grade student at a high school in Dong Anh commune (Hanoi) - said that she chose History and Geography because she felt they were more suitable than other subjects in the elective group.
I don't study natural sciences well, so from the beginning I determined to follow the social sciences block. In the process of choosing the graduation exam subject, I prioritized History and Geography because I thought these subjects were easier to review and easier to get points, helping me feel more secure when entering the exam" - Lan Anh expressed.
Similarly, Vuong Hoai Nam - a 12th grade student at Ngo Quyen High School (Hanoi) - also chose History in the high school graduation exam. He assessed that History is a subject that can achieve a good score if you study textbooks carefully and grasp basic knowledge. Meanwhile, he is worried that natural science subjects may cause low exam scores, affecting graduation results.
Although it is not my main forte subject, I still consider History a safe choice in the context of great exam pressure" - Nam expressed.
Need solutions to balance subject choices
From the above reality, teacher Vu Khac Ngoc - an education expert at HOCMAI Education System - believes that the trend of students choosing social science subjects, including History, increasing in recent years is a systematic phenomenon.
According to him, the root cause starts from the way exams are organized at the secondary school level, when most localities only focus on three subjects: Math, Literature, and English when enrolling in 10th grade. This makes natural science subjects "underestimated" early on, even abandoned from the end of secondary school.
The teacher analyzed that natural science subjects need a long-term accumulation process, while students usually only maintain basic levels in grades 6 and 7. In grades 8 and 9, when the pressure of entrance exams increases, students and parents focus on three main subjects, making the foundation of natural science subjects gradually weaken. When going to high school, the situation of "losing the root" makes students hesitant to choose these subjects.
The new general education program allows students to choose exam subjects themselves, making the trend of choosing social science subjects even clearer. According to Mr. Ngoc, subjects such as History are often assessed as "easy to breathe" because the exam questions are multiple-choice, requiring less in-depth reasoning, so choosing more is mainly to optimize scores.
He also believes that this increase creates an imbalance in the subject structure. While social science subjects attract a large number of candidates, natural science subjects decrease sharply. There are even cases where students switch from natural science subjects to social science subjects to ensure score safety. This may affect the quality of human resources in the context of the economy shifting to technology and knowledge.
If this trend continues, the risk of a shortage of scientific and technological human resources is inevitable" - the teacher said.
To overcome this, according to the teacher, it is necessary to adjust from the macro level, first of all to change the way exams are organized in secondary and high school, avoiding the situation of "teaching what is tested". Focusing only on a number of fixed subjects such as Math, Literature, and English needs to be reconsidered to ensure balance between subjects.
In addition, there should be policies to encourage students to study science and technology at the university level, similar to policies for pedagogy. Career guidance also needs to be promoted early, at least from secondary school level, so that students understand the role of Natural Science subjects, instead of choosing based on easy or difficult factors.
According to teacher Ngoc, only when there is a synchronous adjustment from exams, education policies and career orientation, can the current trend of choosing subjects be gradually balanced.
