Detailed schedule for university capacity and thinking assessment exam 2025

Hanoi National University's aptitude test (HSA)

The HSA 2025 exam will consist of 6 sessions, starting in March, with an estimated 85,000 test-takers. Registration opens on February 8, 2025. The exam fee for 2024 is 500,000 VND per test-taker.

Regarding locations, the exam will take place in many provinces and cities such as Hanoi, Thai Nguyen, Hai Phong, Nam Dinh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Thai Binh , Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Da Nang… The specific exam locations for each session will be announced later.

Exam period	Exam day	Number of candidates
501	March 15-16, 2025	10,000
502	March 29-30, 2025	15,000
503	April 12-13, 2025	15,000
504	April 19-20, 2025	15,000
505	May 10-11, 2025	15,000
506	May 17-18, 2025	15,000

According to information from Hanoi National University, the 2025 aptitude test will have many new features compared to previous years, from the test structure, the number of questions and the way questions are phrased in each topic to the exam registration schedule.

Specifically, the 2025 HSA exam structure consists of three parts, two of which are compulsory: Mathematics and Data Processing, and Literature – Language. Approximately 75% of the questions in the HSA exam are multiple-choice questions with four options, and 25% are fill-in-the-blank questions.

While last year, cluster questions only appeared in the language section of the exam, from 2025 onwards, the Hanoi National University's aptitude test will include cluster questions in all sections and topics. These cluster questions consist of a common question and individual questions designed to assess candidates' abilities from low to high levels.

Cluster questions will utilize a rich source of data, assessing students' thinking skills in specific and cross-disciplinary areas. These are changes to the construction of the HSA exam question bank. Notably, in 2025, questions in the HSA exam will not be arranged from easy to difficult but will be randomly shuffled according to a fixed matrix.

This is one of the largest separate entrance exams in the country. Approximately 90 universities use the scores from this exam for admissions.

The Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (V-ACT) aptitude test

The National University of Ho Chi Minh City's aptitude test is the largest in the country, with nearly 107,000 candidates last year. More than 100 universities use these results for admissions. In 2025, the exam will take place in two phases, on March 30th and June 1st.

The examination locations include: Thua Thien - Hue, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Tien Giang , Ben Tre, Dong Thap, Vinh Long, An Giang, Can Tho, Kien Giang, and Bac Lieu.

The exam fee for 2024 is 300,000 VND per attempt.

Four universities have already announced the schedules for their aptitude and thinking skills assessment exams. (Illustrative image)

The 2025 National University of Ho Chi Minh City's aptitude test will still consist of 120 multiple-choice objective questions with 150 minutes of paper-based testing time, but it has been adjusted to align with the new general education curriculum, aiming to assess students' overall abilities and help universities and colleges select suitable candidates.

The exam consists of three parts: The Logic – Data Analysis and Problem Solving section, which was combined in previous years into the Scientific Thinking section, comprises 30 multiple-choice questions. The questions are designed to provide information, data, and facts, requiring candidates to apply this knowledge to determine experimental results, predict patterns, etc. The Language Usage section includes both Vietnamese and English with 60 questions instead of the previous 40. Finally, there is the Mathematics section with 30 questions.

Hanoi University of Science and Technology's Thinking Skills Assessment Exam (TSA)

In 2025, Hanoi University of Science and Technology plans to organize 3 rounds of aptitude tests on weekends, with each round having 3-4 testing sessions at 30 locations. The exam can accommodate approximately 75,000 test-takers. Specific information on the exam rounds is as follows:

Exam period	Registration opening schedule	Exam schedule
1	December 1-6, 2024 (Closed)	January 18-19, 2025
2	February 1-6, 2025	March 8-9, 2025
3	April 1-6, 2025	April 26-27, 2025

Compared to 2024, the 2025 TSA exam at Hanoi University of Science and Technology will have three fewer registration periods. Currently, the university has closed the first registration period with 14,000 candidates, five times higher than the number of candidates in the first exam period of 2024. These candidates will take the exam on January 18-19, 2025 (before the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Snake).

In addition to the 12 provinces and cities from last year—Hanoi, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, and Da Nang—the school has opened an additional examination center in Lao Cai to make it more convenient for candidates from the Northwest region.

The exam fee is 500,000 VND per attempt.

Regarding the exam structure, Hanoi University of Science and Technology maintains a stable format with three sections: Mathematical Thinking (60 minutes), Reading Comprehension Thinking (30 minutes), and Scientific Thinking/Problem Solving (60 minutes). These are three independent sections, with questions focusing on assessing the candidate's thinking ability, not directly testing knowledge of any particular subject.

The TSA exam is a computer-based multiple-choice test, and the results are valid for two years for university admissions purposes (depending on the university).

Hanoi University of Education's Aptitude Test (SPT)

According to the latest announcement from Hanoi University of Education, the 2025 competency assessment exam will take place on May 17-18, 2025 at four testing locations: Hanoi University of Education, Vinh University, Quy Nhon University, and Da Nang University of Education.

Registration for the exam is open from March 15th to April 15th, 2025. The 2025 SPT exam results will be announced before June 15th, 2025. The fee is 250,000 VND per subject. Candidates can register for any number of subjects.

Hanoi University of Education is organizing the 2025 competency assessment exam with 8 subjects: Mathematics, Literature, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, and Geography.

The exam combines multiple-choice and essay questions with appropriate point weighting according to the structure of each section; assessing the level of understanding of core knowledge and the ability to reason, analyze, evaluate, solve problems, and be creative.

Candidates take the exam in person in the examination room, answering questions by marking on the multiple-choice answer sheet and writing on the exam paper. The time allotted for Mathematics and Literature is 90 minutes, and 60 minutes for other subjects.

Other large-scale separate exams, such as the assessment exams of the Ministry of Public Security and Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, have not yet announced their schedules.

Kim Nhung

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/chi-tiet-lich-thi-danh-gia-nang-luc-tu-duy-cac-truong-dai-hoc-2025-ar914717.html