High school graduation exam is more difficult, how to study to get high score?

Many students are worried about the information that the 2025 high school graduation exam will be more difficult than last year. A representative of the Ministry of Education and Training has "given tips" on how to study, review and do well on this exam.

Dr. Pham Tan Ha - Vice Principal of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Ho Chi Minh City National University) consults on choosing a major for students in Ea H'Leo district on the afternoon of January 11 - Photo: TRAN HUYNH

At the career counseling session at Vo Van Kiet High School (Ea H'Leo district, Dak Lak province) on the afternoon of January 11, most students expressed concern about the difficulty of the 2025 high school graduation exam. In addition, choosing a major that suits their interests and abilities is also a concern of many students here.

What is the structure of the 2025 high school graduation exam?

Before starting the consultation session, MSc. Hoang Thuy Nga - senior expert of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Training - asked students attending the program: "Do you find the reference questions for the high school graduation exam announced by the Ministry of Education and Training difficult?"

Immediately, almost all the 12th grade students present at the consultation session raised their hands and said: "Yes, the exam was too difficult!".

According to Ms. Nga, this year is the first year that students will take the high school graduation exam according to the 2018 general education program with a completely new approach, testing and evaluating students' abilities. Therefore, this year's exam has many new points.

The exam will be highly differentiated, with 40% of the questions related to understanding and application. Specifically, the exam will not only test knowledge but will focus more on assessing the ability to apply knowledge in practice.

Accordingly, there will be many questions built from real-life situations in science and society, helping candidates clearly see the connection between the knowledge they have learned and the world around them.

The 2025 exam distributes the ratio of questions at the levels of knowledge, understanding, and application as 4:3:3. It can be seen that with a knowledge and understanding ratio of about 70%, it will lean towards the graduation goal, while a comprehension and application ratio of about 60% will have a good differentiation effect for admission purposes.

Ms. Nga noted: "The Ministry of Education and Training recommends that students do not memorize but learn to understand and know how to apply it in practice.

To do well on the exam, you must review thoroughly and have a solid grasp of the 12th grade curriculum. However, knowledge from grades 10 and 11 is also very important. Therefore, to do well on this exam and achieve good results, you must study thoroughly, understand and apply the knowledge well.

It is expected that on June 25, students will take the high school graduation exam in 2025. This year, the Ministry continues to promote the application of information technology. From 2025, all candidates can register for the exam online (including independent candidates, who registered on paper in previous years).

Master Cu Xuan Tien advises students interested in admission based on high school graduation exam scores into economics majors - Photo: TRAN HUYNH

Is accounting outdated? Should I choose to study business administration?

A female student from Truong Chinh High School expressed her desire to study accounting but was still hesitant, not knowing whether she should choose this major or not, whether studying this major is outdated... "What is the admission process for accounting majors this year at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry?", this female student wondered.

Consulting you, Dr. Nguyen Trung Nhan - Head of Training Department of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry - said that accounting is not too "hot" but is a traditional industry, all businesses need it. As the country's economy develops, the accounting industry needs more human resources.

Mr. Nhan also affirmed that in order to graduate, accounting students must meet the output standards so they are sure to have enough capacity to meet the requirements of businesses. Students need to equip themselves with additional IT skills to do their jobs well.

Regarding enrollment, according to Mr. Nhan, because there are currently no official enrollment regulations, there is no official information. This year, the school will limit early enrollment with very few quotas, and only for candidates who have won provincial level awards or higher, and have international English certificates.

Other methods (capacity assessment test, combined admission...) will be considered simultaneously with the method of considering high school graduation exam scores at the same time on the admission portal of the Ministry of Education and Training.

"In accounting, if you apply based on high school exam scores, you will get scores from math and English. These are two compulsory subjects in the group, so if you choose accounting, you should focus on studying these two subjects well," Mr. Nhan advised.

Sharing with students interested in business administration, Master Cu Xuan Tien - Head of Admissions and Student Affairs Department of University of Economics and Law (Ho Chi Minh City National University), said that there are currently many schools training in this field.

"Students interested in business administration at schools should carefully research tuition fees, benchmark scores, training programs and learning environments to make choices that suit their conditions and abilities.

Currently, on social networks, there is information that people who study business administration do not know what to do after graduating. However, this is incorrect information because in reality, schools always update their training programs according to the needs of the labor market. Therefore, if you love business administration, feel free to choose to study this major," Mr. Tien advised.

Students attend the admissions and career counseling program at Vo Van Kiet High School this afternoon, January 11 - Photo: TRAN HUYNH

Should I go to college or university?

Hoanh Linh (a student at Vo Van Kiet High School) said that many students are wondering whether to choose college or university. If you choose college, the tuition will be 10-20 million VND cheaper, and the study time will be 2-3 years shorter. If you choose university, your career and income will be more stable after graduation.

"I hope teachers can give me advice on whether to choose university or college? How to choose a major that suits my interests and personality?", Linh asked.

Consulting on this issue, Associate Professor Dr. Huynh Thanh Hung - Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry - said that between university and college there are two levels: college training allows students to work immediately after graduation, while university training allows students to do in-depth research and can improve their qualifications at higher levels (master's, doctorate).

"Depending on your circumstances, if you want to finish school early to start working right away or your ability is not enough to go to university, then boldly choose to go to college. Learning is lifelong, and you can transfer to university later. You should not try every way to get into university by randomly choosing an unsuitable major," Mr. Hung advised.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/de-thi-tot-nghiep-thpt-kho-hon-hoc-the-nao-de-lam-bai-dat-diem-cao-20250111165641305.htm