Ministry of Education encourages universities to use graduation exam scores for admission

Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong encourages universities to use graduation exam scores for admission because it is reliable, less costly, and ensures fairness.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong shared the above at a workshop on the preparation of high school graduation exams from 2025 on the afternoon of March 11. He said that according to the Law on Higher Education, schools are autonomous in recruiting students. However, in many aspects, high school graduation exam results are still a good basis for schools to use as the main source of admission.

Specifically, the high school graduation exam in recent years has clearly overcome the situation of rote learning, lopsided learning, and exam preparation in many big cities. The exam also helps reduce costs for society, especially for test takers. Many experts believe that the exam results are reliable for schools to use as a basis for admission.

According to statistics from the Ministry, the rate of candidates using high school graduation exam scores for university admission in the past 4 years has fluctuated between 40-50%. In 2022, more than 300,000 out of more than 620,000 candidates applying for university admission used their graduation exam scores, accounting for 48.59%; in 2023, this rate was 41.44%.

In particular, the health sector and many other sectors with high entrance standards still consider admission based on high school graduation exam scores. For example, Hanoi Medical University considers about 80% of admission based entirely on exam scores. With 20% of the combined admission quota, the school reduces 2 admission scores for candidates with English or French certificates, but the total admission score is still calculated based on the combination of 3 graduation exam subjects.

Using graduation exam scores for admission also reduces costs for schools, as they do not have to mobilize many resources to organize other admission methods, ensuring fairness in access to education.

"If students in remote areas and ethnic minority areas do not have access to university facilities to take separate exams, what will their opportunities be? Will they be fair?", the Deputy Minister said.

He said it is necessary to unify and strengthen state management of university admission plans, including encouraging schools to use high school graduation exam results for admission.

Statistics for 2023 show that more than 200 universities use about 20 admission methods. The two methods with the highest admission rates are still considering graduation exam scores and considering academic records.

Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong at the workshop on the afternoon of March 11. Photo: MOET — Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong at the workshop on the afternoon of March 11. Photo: *MOET*

Representatives of some universities said they will continue to use the results of this exam but hope the questions will have a higher classification.

When reviewing the Biology mock exam, Professor Tran Diep Tuan, Chairman of the Council of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City, assessed that the exam still tested a lot of memory. He said that universities, including the medical and pharmaceutical sector, could use it if the exam results were guaranteed. To do so, the exam needs to have more questions that apply knowledge and focus more on students' abilities.

Professor Nguyen Vu Quoc Huy, Principal of Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, agreed. According to him, the exam must separate candidates into groups of scores so that schools can select suitable students.

Responding, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Ha, Deputy Director of the Ministry's Department of Quality Management, affirmed that the differentiation of the high school graduation exam from 2025 will be higher. This is also a requirement, but this does not mean that the exam questions must be more difficult.

For example, with the current sample test, the test results on 5,000 students showed good differentiation, he said.

In Nam Dinh, Ms. Trinh Thi Thanh Xuan, a teacher at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, said that the Biology sample test was tested on 10,000 students in the province. More than 90% of students scored above average, with the most common score being 6.5. The number of students scoring 8 and 9 gradually decreased. Only one out of 10,000 students scored 10. According to Ms. Xuan, this shows that the test has good differentiation, suitable for schools to use for admission.

In 2025, the high school graduation exam will have many changes to suit the new general education program. The exam will only have two compulsory subjects (Math, Literature) and two elective subjects. Compared to the current exam, the number of subjects will be reduced by two and the number of exam sessions will be reduced by one.

Duong Tam

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