Struggling to register for the aptitude test due to network congestion

After more than an hour of continuously accessing the Hanoi National University's aptitude test registration page, Thanh Phan still could not get a spot in the exam.

On the morning of February 18, Hanoi National University opened the registration portal for the 2024 HSA for 3 sessions in March and April with about 51,000 test takers at 17 locations. However, right from the start at 9:00 a.m., Thanh Phan, a 12th grade student in Phu Tho , was unable to log into the system.

Phan planned to take the Hanoi National University's aptitude test in the first or second round in Hanoi. The total number of seats for these two rounds is expected to be around 26,000. Following the instructions of the Testing Center, Phan only accessed the registration link on his laptop but could not access it.

"The website kept reporting errors and the homepage wouldn't load. The school counselor told me to calm down, but an hour later, I still couldn't access it," Phan said.

As of 11:30 a.m. on February 18, the HSA exam registration portal was still inaccessible. Photo: Duong Tam — As of 11:30 a.m. on February 18, the HSA exam registration portal was still inaccessible. Photo: *Duong Tam*

Not only Phan, many candidates are facing the same situation. Even on the official fanpage of Hanoi National University, they reported that they could not do anything for more than an hour. At 11:30, some candidates said that the website was still "down".

"Not being able to get in while the school announced that there were successful candidates made me even more worried," Phan shared. One candidate expressed that "registering for HSA means constantly giving up."

Mr. Nguyen Tien Thao, Director of the Examination Center, Hanoi National University, confirmed that candidates could not access the website to register for the exam this morning.

"At 9:25 a.m., the number of accesses to the registration portal for the competency assessment exam was over 96,200 accounts, leading to network congestion," Mr. Thao informed.

The Testing Center recommends that candidates wait in line to register or return to register later. The registration portal will be open until the exam session is full or closes 14-18 days before the official exam date.

Number of visits to the registration portal for the Hanoi National University's competency assessment exam at 9:25 a.m. on February 18. Photo: Provided by the Testing Center — Number of visits to the registration portal for the Hanoi National University's competency assessment exam at 9:25 a.m. on February 18. Photo: *Provided by the Testing Center*

This year, Hanoi National University organizes 6 rounds of HSA with a scale of 84,000 tests, for candidates to register starting from today. When registering, candidates choose the location, test date, test session, maximum two times, at least 28 days apart. The registration system only allows accounts to log in and operate on one computer device at the same time. The test fee is 500,000 VND per candidate per time.

Exam registration schedule, exam date and expected location are as follows:

Exam period	Register exam	Exam date	Expected exam location	Number of seats expected
401	9am February 18th	March 23-24	Hanoi, Nam Dinh	8,000
402	9am February 18th	6-7/4	Hanoi, Thai Binh, Ha Tinh, Thai Nguyen, Hung Yen, Thanh Hoa	18,000
403	9am February 18th	April 20-21	Hanoi, Ha Tinh, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Hai Duong	18,000
404	9am March 6th	May 11-12	Hanoi, Thai Nguyen, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Ninh Binh, Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An	18,000
405	9am March 6th	May 25-26	Hanoi, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh	12,000
406	9am March 6th	June 1-2	Hanoi, Hung Yen, Hai Duong	10,000
The exam schedule may change and candidates will be notified 14 days in advance.

The HSA is a computer-based test that lasts 195 to 199 minutes. It consists of three sections with multiple-choice questions and fill-in-the-blank questions in Mathematics (50 questions, 75 minutes), Literature - Language (50 questions, 60 minutes), and Natural and Social Sciences (50 questions, 60 minutes). Sections 1 and 3 will have 1-3 additional unscored test questions.

Candidates can check their exam results and receive their certificates 14 days after taking the exam. Currently, more than 90 universities use the results of this exam for admission purposes.

Duong Tam

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