Schools proactively support students to review for the 10th grade entrance exam.

The annual 10th grade entrance exam in Hanoi always receives attention from parents and the whole society.

Candidates prepare to take the exam in the 10th grade public school entrance exam for the 2025-2026 school year at the Nguyen Gia Thieu High School exam site ( Hanoi ). Photo: Minh Quyet/VNA

Currently, the third subject in the 10th grade entrance exam for the 2026-2027 school year has not been announced by Hanoi, and the exam schedule is expected to change compared to previous years, causing many parents and students to be worried and anxious. In this situation, schools have proactively developed review plans, ready to support students to adapt in all conditions.

Exam pressure

The first semester of the 2025-2026 school year is about to end. Although the school and parents have been "wound up" since the beginning of the school year, for 9th grade students in Hanoi, the beginning of the second semester is the acceleration period when the exam schedule is set. The pressure of the exam makes both students and their families stressed because winning a place in a public high school is not easy.

Ms. Bui Huong Oanh, whose child is in class 9A3 at Nghia Tan Secondary School (Nghia Do Ward), said that her child leaves home at 6:30 a.m. and studies until late at night before returning home. “My child aims to take the entrance exam to Yen Hoa High School, so he is under a lot of pressure because the admission score of this school is always at the top. The family also suggested that my child choose schools with lower admission scores to reduce the pressure, but my child is determined with his choice. Seeing my child struggling to go to school, although I feel sorry for him, it is his dream, so the family will accompany him until he completes the exam,” Ms. Oanh shared.

Tran Tuan Anh, a student at Kim Hoa Secondary School (Quang Minh Commune, Hanoi), shared that in addition to studying regularly, he spends a lot of time reviewing four subjects including Math, Literature, English and Natural Sciences to prepare for the upcoming exam. However, he is still not confident because he does not know the third subject, if it is not English and Natural Sciences, he will have to review another subject in a very short time.

Not only are parents and students waiting for Hanoi to announce the third subject of the 10th grade entrance exam for the 2026-2027 school year, many parents and students are also concerned that Hanoi plans to postpone the exam later than every year.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Minh (Ba Dinh ward, Hanoi), whose child is in grade 9, said that postponing the exam schedule will help children have more time to review and consolidate knowledge, but this also puts students under more pressure because they have to maintain concentration for a while longer.

Actively review and support students

In the past 3 years, the rate of students passing the 10th grade entrance exam to public high schools in Hanoi has tended to increase steadily, clearly reflecting the city's efforts to expand the scale and reduce enrollment pressure. If in the 2023-2024 school year, the admission rate reached about 60.9%, by the 2024-2025 enrollment season, this number has approached 61%. Notably, in the 2025-2026 school year, Hanoi has increased the rate of students entering public schools to about 64%. These figures show the initiative of the education sector and the capital's government in ensuring access to public general education for the majority of students, contributing to reducing exam pressure and creating peace of mind for parents and students during each enrollment season.

However, compared to the expectations and needs of the people of the capital, the rate of more than 60% of students passing the entrance exams to public schools is still quite modest. Therefore, the anxiety and expectation of students in the capital before an important and stressful exam is inevitable. However, according to teachers, the most important thing is to maintain stability in studying. Regardless of the third exam subject, basic knowledge and initiative are still the deciding factors.

According to teacher Nguyen Thi Van Hong, Principal of Chuong Duong Secondary School (Hong Ha Ward), students should not be too worried, should not let the wait for information about the third exam affect them, but should maintain their spirit and study progress. To achieve good results in the exam, in addition to maintaining health and a strong spirit, the knowledge base is still the most important. Students should rest assured to study, review according to the instructions of teachers and be ready to respond to all information.

In order for 9th grade students to confidently take the exam and achieve the best results, many schools have organized monthly test surveys, which not only help students get used to the pressure of the exam room, self-assess their actual abilities, but also help schools better understand the students' situation, thereby providing timely and effective support solutions.

Many teachers also believe that students need to improve their reading comprehension and text analysis skills outside of textbooks - especially in Literature when the exam does not use materials from textbooks. This has been shown in the Literature exam of the Hanoi High School Entrance Exam for the 2025-2026 school year.

For Math and other subjects, students need to have a firm grasp of basic knowledge and practice skills in applying it to practice. Compared with the 2025-2026 exam, it can be seen that exercises that synthesize knowledge, require problem assessment or apply it to life are becoming more and more popular. Referring to previous years' exam questions and illustrative exam structures are also very necessary, helping students to define the type of questions and the level of requirements of the exam in order to have a suitable review plan.

Regarding the exam schedule, according to the school year schedule issued by the Ministry of Education and Training, the 2026 high school graduation exam is expected to take place on June 11-12. Based on this, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training plans to propose to the City People's Committee to organize the 10th grade entrance exam for the 2026-2027 school year at the end of June 2026 instead of early June as every year. The adjustment of the exam time is to fit the school year schedule and give 9th grade students more time to review.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/tuyen-sinh/cac-truong-hoc-chu-dong-ho-tro-hoc-sinh-on-tap-thi-tuyen-vao-lop-10-20251205111932554.htm