The 10th grade entrance exam is considered one of the most competitive exams, creating considerable pressure on many students and their families - Photo: VGP/Thu Trang
Whether you fail or pass, you cry.
"When we found out our child's 10th-grade entrance exam results, my husband and I breathed a sigh of relief. Our child, however, burst into tears because she had passed." Ms. Van Anh (Cua Nam Ward, Hanoi ) said that her child had been studying and preparing continuously since 7th grade with a packed schedule of extra classes. Entering the 10th-grade entrance exam, her child was constantly anxious, fearing she wouldn't get into her first-choice school. After completing the exam, she was almost exhausted and spent two days just catching up on sleep before anxiously waiting for the results again.
In another part of Hanoi, Ms. Bich Van (Vinh Tuy ward) experienced completely opposite emotions. Having failed to get into the public high school she hoped for, her son locked himself in his room all evening after learning his exam results and refused to talk to anyone. "He didn't come out of his room until noon the next day, his eyes swollen from crying. What broke my heart the most was that the first thing he said to his parents was an apology for failing," she shared.
One student cried because they passed. Another student cried because they failed. Behind those tears lies the immense pressure that the entrance exam is placing on these 15-year-old children.
In Hanoi, nearly 125,000 students have received their results for the 2026-2027 10th grade entrance exam. This year, 124,915 students registered for their first choice in non-specialized public high schools, while the total enrollment capacity of 122 public high schools is only 79,533 students. Therefore, approximately 45,000 students will have to seek educational opportunities outside the public high school system. For many families, this means having to recalculate their children's educational path, find a new environment, and in many cases, prepare for a significant additional expense.
In Ho Chi Minh City, more than 151,000 candidates registered for this year's 10th grade entrance exam, the highest number ever. The cut-off scores for public high schools will be announced after the enrollment confirmation process is completed and the admissions data is processed.
Associate Professor Tran Thanh Nam: Exam pressure weighs heavily not only on students who fail, but also on those who achieve the desired results - Photo: VGP/Thu Trang
When the whole family takes the entrance exam for 10th grade.
Analyzing from a psychological perspective, Associate Professor Tran Thanh Nam – Rector of the University of Education (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) – argues that young people today are living in an increasingly competitive environment, where success is often quantified by grades, medals, and exam achievements.
According to him, after every important exam, such as the entrance exam for high school or university, not only students but also their families experience stress. Notably, this pressure doesn't only affect those who don't achieve the desired results; even successful students continue to face the anxiety of having to succeed in subsequent attempts. "We don't have many suitable strategies to help children cope with disappointment or experience small failures in life to develop resilience. Therefore, after every stressful exam, there are still cases of students having negative thoughts," he said.
Associate Professor Tran Thanh Nam believes that when students cannot get into public schools, the pressure falls not only on them but also heavily on their parents.
Many families worry about the cost of private schooling, transportation arrangements, or changes to learning plans that have been prepared for years. When adults fail to control their emotions, these anxieties can inadvertently amplify feelings of guilt, shame, and failure in children.
He frankly pointed out that social media is contributing to the invisible pressure on many students. In an environment where achievements are constantly shared and celebrated, many students develop a passive comparison mentality and see themselves as failures when they don't achieve their goals.
Family support is a crucial pillar that helps students overcome the pressure and disappointments after exams - Illustration: Nhat Minh
Success comes from learning how to face failure.
Associate Professor Tran Thanh Nam believes that the most important thing right now is not to find ways to remove all pressure from children's lives, but to help them learn how to cope with pressure and failure.
According to him, resilience in the face of adversity is not developed in major exams but rather through small setbacks in daily life. When children experience disappointment and are guided by their parents to overcome it instead of being judged, they will gradually develop strength and adaptability.
Associate Professor Nam believes that many parents want their children to grow up under pressure, but unintentionally deprive them of the opportunity to experience difficulties. Meanwhile, it is small failures that serve as "practical exercises" to help children learn how to get back up after falling. "At important crossroads in life, if they don't achieve what they want, they need to see that there are still Plan B and Plan C. Life doesn't have only one path," Associate Professor Tran Thanh Nam emphasized.
He also argued that by accepting failure as part of the growth process, students will no longer view an exam as the end point, but rather as an experience to continue learning and moving forward.
After days of sadness, with encouragement and support from his parents, Ms. Bich Van's son gradually stabilized. The family began researching suitable private schools to continue his education. "My husband and I told him that when one door closes, another opens. No door stays closed forever," she said.
In fact, many students who failed to get into public high schools quickly adapted to the new environment, found opportunities for development, and achieved positive results in subsequent years of schooling.
The entrance exam for 10th grade may be a significant milestone, but it's not the ultimate goal of youth. Perhaps what 15-year-old students need most after an exam isn't the reproaches or disappointments of adults, but the feeling that they are still loved, regardless of whether the results were as expected or not. Because after all, no child should have to leave the exam room with swollen eyes to apologize just because they didn't get into a school.
Thu Trang
Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/khong-de-diem-so-tro-thanh-ap-luc-102260624164852735.htm
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