High School Graduation Exam 2025: 'Candidates Cry but Need Change'

The 2025 high school graduation exam has subjects that candidates shared were difficult, even making them "cry", but experts said that the changes can help students reposition their learning in the true sense, and schools must also change the way they teach.

At the workshop “The Path from High School to Global University” organized by Hanoi Adelaide School and SACE College Vietnam, Ms. Pham Thuy Chi (Master ofEducational Psychology , Career Guidance Specialist) said that she was very happy about the changes in the recent high school graduation exam in Vietnam.

According to Ms. Chi, Vietnam's general education program is starting to get closer to the world 's modern programs - programs that focus on in-depth learning, capacity development and career orientation. Preparing children from the beginning of high school, not waiting until university or after graduating from university to start looking for a job.

“We must prepare the capacity and skills for students from high school for a career world that is changing a lot, which is extremely necessary. Maybe in the first year, there will be many surprises with the changes, especially the final assessment test, the high school graduation exam, which will make parents feel very different, especially students who even “cry”. But I believe that for the next generations, that will be information to help them review their studies and schools will also have to change their teaching methods,” said Ms. Chi.

Ms. Pham Thuy Chi, master of educational psychology, career guidance specialist, shared at the workshop "The path from high school to global university".

Ms. Chi said that high school in Vietnam is a program built towards university preparation and career orientation for students.

“That is why we have to choose a combination right from the time we enter grade 10. To choose a combination in grade 10, we have to look at our children's learning and working abilities; the activities they regularly participate in; their interests and hobbies in daily activities, as well as their interests in subjects,” said Ms. Chi.

Ms. Chi also warned that many students born in 2007 are facing difficulties because they only focus on studying Math, Literature, and English, forgetting other subjects that are necessary for their future careers.

Ms. Chi advises students to "study deeply" instead of choosing safe subjects. Because now, studying deeply is the way for us to solve problems.

“As in social knowledge, students must look outside, participate in social projects, do all the activities to be able to see and vibrate with the outside world, and then from there put that material into the subject. Students must ask questions, find questions and answer them themselves, instead of just listening one-sidedly from school.

Or in Math, it can be seen that this year's high school graduation exam is full of materials about life. Actually, Math knowledge is not difficult. But students must apply Math knowledge to real life, such as calculating the height of a building, the volume of a water tank, ... not just solving model problems. Or in English, the subject that candidates "cried" the most this year, we need to determine what we are studying for. Studying to know, to do, to use, English must become a language, not something we can solve problems with. Even if we read and understand English specifically, I think it is not too difficult a question, but a practical question. I think that if you choose English as an elective subject, you need to study it that much; otherwise, you can choose another subject," said Ms. Chi.

Therefore, Ms. Chi believes that in-depth learning will help students reposition their studies. “Parents also need to determine whether we focus on grades, GPA scores, or on developing their children's true abilities when they go out,... When choosing subjects, everyone should stop thinking about choosing safe subjects such as Math, Literature, and English. These are necessary subjects, but not all children can study them excellently. Instead, we should focus on the subjects that children do well in,” Ms. Chi said.

Parents and students attended the workshop.

Citing a report from the World Employment Organization, Ms. Chi said that the groups of occupations that will be of interest in the future include: Technology and AI; Health and healthcare; Occupations associated with green development (renewable energy, environment); Education and skills training; Human services and user experience; Creativity.

However, Ms. Chi said that this is the whole picture, and there is no optimal career. Parents need to consider what abilities their children should develop and what groups of careers those abilities will adapt to and are suitable for pursuing.

Top 10 study abroad destinations for Vietnamese students

At the workshop, MSc. Pham Thi Cuc Ha - Member of the Board of Hanoi Adelaide School (HAS), Founder of SACE College Vietnam said that, according to statistics, the top 10 destinations in the world that Vietnamese students choose to study abroad include: Japan, Korea, Australia, USA, Taiwan, Canada, China, Germany, UK, France.

“Currently, Japan and South Korea are on the list of destinations, because the number of Vietnamese people studying abroad for jobs and vocational training is very large. However, when it comes to university and postgraduate studies, Australia, the US, Canada, etc. are leading the list,” said Ms. Ha.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/de-thi-tot-nghiep-thpt-nam-2025-thi-sinh-khoc-nhung-can-thay-doi-2416271.html