'Experts' share secrets to achieving high scores on exams.

Candidates participating in the 2023 high school graduation exam - Photo: DUYEN PHAN

The advice and experiences shared by those who came before will empower the special group of candidates – the last group of candidates taking the exam under the 2006 general education program.

Mental well-being is also something that 2006 candidates need to pay attention to. They must focus on their exam, ignore their surroundings, and avoid reviewing their answers before the exam. They can walk around the exam area and wash their face to refresh themselves and relax.

PHAM TUAN KHANG

Literature subject: avoid rambling and being overly wordy.

During the final stages of preparation, candidates should focus on thoroughly reviewing the author, the work, and the literary techniques, as these are core concepts. Furthermore, a solid understanding of the literary techniques in a poem/prose piece will help candidates develop their content more effectively.

It is important to allocate time wisely during the exam. Therefore, candidates should group poems and prose within a single point for analysis, staying focused on the argumentative issue, avoiding rambling, lengthy explanations, and including too many literary opinions in the essay.

When entering the exam room, candidates should bring familiar, lightweight, and comfortable pens to help increase writing speed.

(Do Hoang Nam - a student majoring in International Relations at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, who achieved scores of 9.5 and 9.75 in Literature in two consecutive high school graduation exams in 2021 and 2022)

Mathematics: Take advantage of this time to review basic formulas.

In the final days, I usually spend time practicing with real exam papers from previous years and mock exams from schools and education departments to familiarize myself with the actual exam structure.

Besides that, I also took the opportunity to review basic formulas and quick solution methods to apply to some problems. I'm not practicing difficult problems or studying specialized topics these days anymore; instead, I'm spending time resting, letting my mind relax and unwind.

When I entered the exam room, I tried to finish the first 40 questions in 20 minutes and spent 10 minutes reviewing before tackling the last 10 questions, meaning the total time to achieve an 8-point score was 30 minutes.

The last few questions are usually difficult and require a lot of fundamental thinking. Therefore, I usually read the question multiple times and analyze the given data, gradually the problem will return to familiar forms and become solvable.

(Nguyen Hong Nhung - runner-up in the A00 group nationwide in 2023, previously achieved a score of 9.8 in mathematics, top entrance exam scorer at Foreign Trade University)

English subject: practicing with "standard" test questions

I've made it a habit to solve 1-2 practice tests during the "final push" days, especially "standard" mock exams from reputable departments, schools, or teachers, both this year and in previous years.

I spent the remaining time reviewing idioms from the Oxford Word Skills book, at the Intermediate and Advanced levels, and also studying words with multiple meanings – the kind of sentences I believe are designed to trick test-takers and limit the chances of getting a perfect score.

I found the English exam for the high school graduation exam not too long, complicated, or demanding of as many skills as international certification exams like IELTS or TOEIC. Therefore, to get a high score, candidates need a truly solid foundation of academic knowledge.

(Nguyen Tuan Dinh - a student majoring in English at the Vietnam Aviation Academy, who achieved a perfect score of 10 in English in the 2022 high school graduation exam)

Social science exam: avoid panicking if you encounter unfamiliar questions.

My secret to getting high scores in social science subjects is to thoroughly review the textbooks, read extensively, and master the knowledge. Additionally, in the days leading up to the exam, I sought out more practice questions from provinces in the North to solve. In the days before the exam, except for mealtimes and sleep, I spent all my time solving practice questions. I tried to maintain a stable mindset, avoiding either overconfidence or self-doubt.

(Le Huu Dang - valedictorian of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City in 2023, 10 points in history, 9.75 points in geography)

* For history, geography, and civics, I prepared quite thoroughly at home, carefully reading the textbooks and watching teachers solve some exam questions. For history, I paid attention to timelines and campaigns. The most confusing part was the content regarding political programs and political theses.

The final questions in the civics exam are often quite long, so candidates can read the questions beforehand to better grasp the main points when they read the rest of the exam.

When entering the exam room and encountering unfamiliar questions, the first thing to do is calmly read the question, don't panic, use relevant knowledge to analyze it, and then gradually figure out the problem.

(Truong Nhut Tan - a second-year student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, who scored 9.5 in History and 9 in Civic Education in the 2022 High School Graduation Exam)

Natural science exam: do it quickly, do it thoroughly.

In the last two days before the exam, I only reviewed the theory and exercises I had already done, and went to bed early to prepare myself physically for the exam.

When taking exams, I usually prioritize reading the entire question, underlining the conditions and information given, and any special points provided in the question to avoid missing anything. I fill in the answer sheet as I go along.

While working on the recognition and comprehension questions, if I'm unsure about any question, I skip it and move on to the next one. When I reach the group of higher-level application questions, I go back to the ones I'm unsure about, and then tackle the more difficult ones one by one.

In particular, you need to answer the easy questions quickly and accurately so that you have enough time to tackle the more difficult ones. Don't be too careful with the easy questions; repeatedly checking them will only waste unnecessary time.

For physics, when encountering a difficult question, stay calm, write it down on scratch paper, draw diagrams if necessary, and approach it the same way as with mechanics, electricity, oscillations, and light waves. For chemistry, summarize the question, especially for high-level organic and inorganic chemistry problems, to understand how the substances interact with each other, making it easier to solve.

(Pham Tuan Khang - top-scoring student in the entrance exam for the University of Information Technology, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City in 2023)

* I think the first thing you need is an effective time management method for the exam, so when doing the basic sections, I will read and complete them as quickly as possible to have time to tackle the more difficult questions.

Simultaneously optimize your calculator speed and use any calculator tips (if available) to process tasks more quickly. Secondly, read the question carefully and complete the assignment meticulously.

For example, with a physics exam, after completing the basic section, I would immediately fill in the answers on the multiple-choice sheet so I wouldn't have to worry about it at the last minute. In the last 15 minutes, I would review the basic questions, mainly carefully rereading the questions because I think simple calculations are less likely to result in errors.

When doing the advanced application section, I will choose to work from easy to difficult to create a relaxed and confident mindset. Once I get the answer, I will mark it on the answer sheet immediately. This part mainly depends on each student's own ability.

(Vu Hoang Luong Huy, top scorer nationwide in the A01 group at the 2023 high school graduation exam)

Maintaining mental balance before the exam day.

To balance my anxiety during exam season, I usually write in my journal, clearly outlining my fears and analyzing the reasons for those fears to motivate myself.

On the day of the exam, I woke up early and prepared thoroughly, spending some time meditating to calm myself down.

In the exam room, I limited my conversations with others so that my mindset wouldn't be affected by the fear of those around me.

(Phan Minh Quân - student of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, valedictorian of Block C in 2024)

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cao-thu-chia-se-bi-quyet-thi-diem-cao-20240626080107568.htm