Launching the private exam

In 2025, the Hanoi University of Science and Technology's aptitude test marked the beginning of separate exams organized by higher education institutions. Approximately 14,000 candidates participated in the first phase of the exam over two days, January 18th and 19th.

Candidates participating in the first round of the 2025 aptitude test at Hanoi University of Science and Technology. Photo: A. Duy.

The exam was held simultaneously at 31 testing locations, including 18 in Hanoi and 13 in other localities such as Thai Nguyen, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh , Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, and Da Nang.

Increase scale, maintain structure.

Because Hanoi University of Science and Technology plans to increase its admission quota by 10% for the aptitude test, this exam has attracted a large number of candidates. Meanwhile, while the university organized 6 exam sessions in 2024, this year it has been reduced to 3, but the number of exam sessions has increased, with a maximum of 4 sessions per session. The first session saw a significant increase in the number of participants compared to the previous year. Candidate Tran Duc Manh (Khoai Chau High School, Hung Yen province), who traveled to Hanoi with his father to take the exam on the morning of January 19th, said that he had thoroughly researched the exam the previous year and had a long preparation period, so he felt quite confident. He hopes to use these results to apply for the Automation Engineering program at Hanoi University of Science and Technology. “I also plan to use my high school graduation exam scores for university admission, but this option will be more difficult because the competition is higher while the quota for this option has decreased. If the cutoff score is the same as last year, with my academic ability, I'm not very confident, and this year's exam has been adjusted, so it's hard to predict,” Mạnh said.

Following the first phase, the second phase of the thinking skills assessment exam will be held on March 8-9, with registration open from February 1-6. The third phase will be held on April 26-27, with registration open from April 1-6.

The structure of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology's aptitude test remains essentially stable compared to 2024, as the university has changed the content and format of the exam according to the new General Education Program since 2023. According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Phong Dien - Vice Director of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, the task of designing this year's aptitude test is more complex and challenging than last year because all questions need to be compared to match the content of the 2018 General Education Program. This helps ensure that candidates are not surprised and that no exam content goes beyond the curriculum. The exam also applies many modern testing technologies such as standardized thinking skills question construction technology, bridge theory in the exam, multi-parameter IRT scoring technology, and automatic check-in technology using citizen identity cards integrated with the personal data management system on the National Population Database to identify candidates attending the exam in order to thoroughly prevent cheating and fraud in exams... It is expected that candidates participating in the Thinking Skills Assessment Exam will know their results after 7-10 days.

Note the new points

In 2025, not only will the high school graduation exam be organized with many new features, but the separate entrance exams organized by universities for admission will also undergo many changes to align with the 2018 general education curriculum. Dr. Nguyen Quoc Chinh, Director of the Center for Testing and Quality Assessment at the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, stated that this year's exam, particularly the problem-solving section, has significantly changed. While in previous years, questions focused in-depth on subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, and Geography, this year's exam will shift towards a wider range of topics, including science, society, economics, and law. This change aims to ensure that all candidates, regardless of their chosen subjects in high school, have access to the exam questions fairly.

Similarly, the 2025 aptitude test of Hanoi National University is structured into three parts: Part 1 is Mathematics and Data Processing; Part 2 is Language and Literature; and Part 3 is Science. In terms of format, the 2025 aptitude test is mainly adjusted in Part 3 and the way questions are phrased. After completing the first two parts, in the third part, candidates will choose 3 out of 5 topics from the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, and Geography to complete the test within 195 minutes. The foreign language section will be developed as a separate component, replacing the Science section, to assess specialized aptitude.

Another notable change is that aptitude and critical thinking assessment exams will be larger in scale than in previous years. For example, in 2025, the critical thinking assessment exam at Hanoi University of Science and Technology is expected to welcome 75,000 candidates, an increase of 25,000 compared to 2024, and will expand to include an additional testing location in Lao Cai for greater convenience. Ho Chi Minh City University of Education plans to organize 3-5 exam sessions at multiple locations with over 30,000 candidates…

Currently, each separate entrance exam serves not only the university's admissions needs but is also expanded, with results used by many other universities. However, the exam structure and organization differ, so candidates wishing to register for a particular exam need to research and prepare thoroughly to achieve the best results. To ensure fairness and alignment with the 2018 General Education Program, the Ministry of Education and Training stated that it will strengthen the inspection and supervision of the quality of separate entrance exams, especially the process of building the question bank, to ensure that the exam questions do not exceed the 2018 General Education Program.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/khoi-dong-ky-thi-rieng-10298650.html