Be careful with "ovens" that train for competency assessment exams

Understanding the concerns of candidates taking the 2025 competency assessment exam under the new program, many review courses are being widely promoted on social networks...

A lesson of students at Phu Nhuan High School (HCMC). Photo: MA

Various

With just one click on the keyword “competency assessment test preparation” on the Internet, candidates will easily find thousands of results. In particular, on Facebook groups about the competency assessment test, every few hours there is an anonymous post asking for exam preparation addresses.

Below the post, there are a series of comments introducing themselves as staff or having studied at the centers and achieved good results. Candidates only need to respond to the comments and someone will proactively contact them to introduce courses. Most groups and "centers" that review and assess abilities on social media platforms are organized in the form of online learning, with mock exams.

Specifically, after leaving contact information on a center's Facebook, not long after, the staff called and enthusiastically advised. According to this staff, the exam preparation course includes 3 stages: Foundation, general review and practice questions. The foundation part is to teach basic knowledge of grade 12 in the exam. The general review part will systematize knowledge from grade 10 to grade 12. These two parts are actively learned by candidates through videos .

At the end of December, the center started the practice test section via online (live stream). Candidates will interact online with teachers within 30 sessions, each session lasting 90 - 120 minutes.

This employee said: “If you have a firm grasp of 12th grade knowledge, you should choose the accelerated package, which includes a total review and practice tests. The original tuition fee is 7.2 million VND, but because the center has a golden day promotion program, it is reduced to 4.3 million VND. Or if you choose the comprehensive package with 3 parts, it will be reduced from 11.5 million to 6.9 million VND.”

Posing as a student who wants to register for a training course, a reporter from the Education and Times Newspaper was informed by the person in charge of a Fanpage with more than 19,000 followers that the first round of the competency assessment exam will be organized by Ho Chi Minh City National University in March 2025. To serve this exam, the competency assessment training class will start from December 7.

However, if there is a need, the "center" can still let students take this class. The online learning format, the first course content includes: 9 practice tests and detailed corrections, key documents on scientific reasoning and language use; 35 topics on systematizing knowledge in 7 subjects: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, Economic and Legal Education; 10 topics on systematizing language use; Logic, data analysis, etc.

This person also said that after registering, students will be instructed to start over from the beginning. The tuition fee is 850,000 VND, reduced to 779,000 VND if registered before December 26. Each week, the course lasts about 3-4 hours, ending after the first round of competency assessment.

When the reporter asked for the address to deposit the money, the employee sent the account number of the individual registered at a transaction office in Binh Thuan province. This person pledged that there was no fraud and added that "the group teaches online, there is no office".

Candidates taking the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City National University's competency assessment exam. Photo: TT

Study well at school, practice skills at home

Ms. Ngo Ngoc Tuyet - Vice Principal of Ly Thuong Kiet High School (HCMC) said that every year, all grade 12 students of the school participate in the capacity assessment test organized by Ho Chi Minh City National University, because it is determined that this is a great opportunity to enter university. The school also encourages students to participate in the capacity assessment test and organizes buses to pick up students to attend this test.

“Because there is no time to review, teachers only guide students to find documents and outlines to review on their own. In previous years, many students achieved high results when participating in the competency assessment exam.

Of course, the school also determined that this exam is not the only way to enter university, and some top universities will require high high school graduation scores or need to take other exams. Therefore, teachers also advise students to balance the time and importance between both exams," said Ms. Tuyet.

Similarly, Mr. Ho Ngoc Dang Khoa - Vice Principal of Nguyen Huu Cau High School (HCMC) said that most of the school's students participated in the competency assessment exam. Near the exam date, the school organized classes on test-taking methods for each subject, and students who wanted to participate could proactively participate.

“According to the structure of the sample test, the 2025 test will have questions that cover subjects that candidates did not study at school. However, those questions are based on available data for logical reasoning and are not heavily specialized. Therefore, students who study well at school and have the skills will do well on the test, and do not necessarily need to review at centers,” Mr. Khoa emphasized.

Dr. Nguyen Quoc Chinh - Director of the Center for Testing and Training Quality Assessment (Ho Chi Minh City National University) said that the unit does not organize exam preparation courses or sell exam preparation materials in any form. Teachers participating in building the question bank also do not participate in any review groups.

This is a commitment and is strictly controlled. Currently, there is no system to censor and evaluate these study groups, so learners must be vigilant and consult many people to make the right choice.

“Students have a very reliable source of information, which is their teachers at high school. At the same time, they must coordinate and discuss with friends to find the best way to study. It is important that candidates must believe in themselves, avoid believing in a person or a center whose teaching methods are sometimes not in line with the exam orientation,” Dr. Chinh emphasized.

Dr. Nguyen Quoc Chinh advised: “Candidates should not participate in review courses but should proactively study scientifically. Because the exam aims to assess the candidate’s university learning ability, including the ability to use Vietnamese, English, mathematics, logical thinking, science, data processing, and problem solving.

These abilities cannot be acquired overnight but are formed throughout the high school learning process. With all knowledge at school, candidates must question its systematicity, research and understand its essence, not just memorize it. If this is practiced for a long time, candidates will form a habit of studying scientifically.

Source: https://danviet.vn/can-trong-voi-lo-luyen-thi-danh-gia-nang-luc-20241227111605281.htm