The 2025 Competency Assessment Test (CAT) organized by Ho Chi Minh City National University, with the participation of more than 223,000 candidates in 2 rounds, is attracting special attention from the public andeducation experts.
Analysis of the score distribution and basic statistics from the two examinations shows that there are significant differences in results.
Spectrum of "dancing" points, abnormal warping
According to statistics from the Center for Testing and Training Quality Assessment, Ho Chi Minh City National University, the 2025 National High School Graduation Exam has 152,792 candidates participating with 223,179 test takers for both sessions.
Of which, the first round had 126,293 candidates taking the exam. The exam was held on March 30 in 25 provinces/cities.
Phase 2 has 92,246 candidates taking the exam on June 1 in 11 provinces and cities.
The analysis results show a sharp increase in high scores. Specifically, this year's exam had 8.3% of candidates scoring 901/1,200 points or more, 4.4% higher than in 2024. About 40% of candidates scored 701 points or more, 3% higher than in 2024.
Along with that, the rate of candidates achieving average scores or higher in 2025 is 61%, lower than 66% in 2024.
With the number of candidates taking the exam about 30% larger, in 2025, there will be over 93,200 candidates achieving average scores or higher, 1.3 times higher than in 2024. From 701 points or higher, this year is also nearly 1.6 times higher than in 2024.
Chart of average score difference between 2025 exam period (Chart: Huyen Nguyen).
Similarly, compared to the 2024 data, 34,358 candidates achieved a score of 801 or higher, twice as high. 12,732 candidates achieved a score of 901 or higher, 2.7 times higher. In the group of candidates with high scores of 1,001/1,200 points or higher, this year there were 1,465 candidates, nearly four times higher.
The most notable point is the large difference between the two rounds of exams: The average score of the second round was 718.7, 100.4 points higher than the first round. This difference is recorded as the highest ever.
Compared to the average score of the 2023-2025 period announced by the organizers to be in the range of 640-665, the average score of the second round is also 53-78 points higher.
This volatility raises big questions about the stability and standardization of the exam.
Explaining this, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Chinh, Director of the Center for Testing and Assessment of Training Quality, Ho Chi Minh City National University, commented that the score distribution of the second round in 2025 is close to the standard distribution, the score range is wide, and tends to "slightly deviate to the right" compared to the first round.
“This may be due to the following reasons: First, of the total number of candidates taking the second round of the exam, more than 65,000 candidates had taken the first round. This is a group of candidates with good or better ability, with first round exam scores higher than the average.
Second, the second round takes place about 2 months after the first round, giving candidates more time to review and consolidate their knowledge. At the same time, because of the experience in the first round, candidates have more experience in taking the test, have better time management skills and exam room psychology, so their test results can be improved," Mr. Chinh explained.
Competency assessment test scores for the 2023-2025 period.
The organizing unit also asserted that the quality of the test was maintained stably. The percentage of questions achieving good and very good discrimination was up to 94.2% in the first round and 96.7% in the second round, confirming the good classification ability of the test, suitable for the goal of assessing capacity for university admission.
Need to clarify potential risks affecting fairness in admissions
On the contrary, the former director of a testing center of a university with experience in the National High School Exam had different analyses with in-depth opinions related to the standardization of exam questions and comparison of exam questions of the two exam periods.
According to him, both rounds had high standard deviations (~154–158), demonstrating good ability to classify candidates' abilities. However, the score distribution of round 2 was closer to the standard form, with a clear distribution peak and few candidates with low scores, showing that this round's exam was more suitable for general abilities. Meanwhile, round 1 tended to deviate to the left with many candidates scoring below average.
Distribution of exam scores for the first and second rounds of the National High School Examination (Source: Provided by experts).
He said the big difference between the two rounds cannot be explained by the factor of “possibly due to retaking the test or practicing”. The score distribution of the second round shifted to the right, reflecting the possibility that the test was easier, less confusing, or clearer in the way it was designed and evaluated.
It is not impossible that the exam questions have not been fully standardized between rounds. If this is true, there will be a great risk to the fairness of the admission process between the two rounds if the same results are used in admission.
This expert further analyzed that, with a large scale and reasonable time gap between the two exams, the results should ideally be stable and comparable. However, the obvious difference as above raises an urgent need for a serious and comprehensive re-evaluation of the exam and the need to standardize scores between exams through specialized methods such as equating or converting according to percentage rankings.
In addition, the next measure is to build a standardized test bank and test the quality of questions before and after the test.
The 2025 Competency Assessment Exam had 152,792 candidates participating with 223,179 test takers for both sessions (Photo: HUIT).
He said that to truly create trust in society, the National University of Ho Chi Minh City's National High School Examination Council needs to transparently announce the technical parameters of the exam such as reliability, discrimination, and especially announce the comparison of the candidate's ability chart - question difficulty of the two exam rounds.
At the same time, it is necessary to standardize scores between exam periods and invest in building a standardized test bank with a strict inspection process.
Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh, former Director of the Department of Continuing Education, Department of Education and Training, stated that an exam is considered standardized if and only if the question bank is large enough, ensures diversity in content and form, and is scientifically designed.
A spectrum chart of competency assessment test scores shows standardization in test questions when there is a high degree of similarity (Source: Expert provided).
This is to maintain the equivalence of difficulty between exam codes and different exam sessions, thereby ensuring fair competition for all participating candidates.
He particularly emphasized that transparency and fairness need to be reflected not only in the structure and content of the exam but also throughout the entire process of organizing and handling incidents that arise during the exam.
According to him, although Ho Chi Minh City National University had announced the sample exam before the exam, it was only an initial reference tool. What candidates, parents and the whole society really care about is the official exam, because only when this exam is made public can the quality of the content be evaluated objectively and reliably.
Making the exam public not only helps candidates have more data to review and orient their learning strategies appropriately, but also creates a basis for society to monitor and evaluate the quality of the exam objectively. When the exam is constructed methodically, according to the correct process and of good quality, there is no reason to be afraid of publication.
The National High School Exam organized by Ho Chi Minh City National University is having a great impact, directly affecting the rights of hundreds of thousands of candidates, therefore, it is even more necessary to comply with the principles of publicity and transparency.
Recalling the fact that the group of candidates taking the second round of the exam were not given extra points or allowed to retake the exam, Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh said that this was unfair to the candidates.
He proposed: “For the group of candidates affected in the second round, Ho Chi Minh City National University needs to organize an additional exam, specifically for these candidates and completely waive the exam fee. This is not only the responsibility of the organizing unit but also to ensure the legitimate rights of the candidates.”
He added that the continuous occurrence of errors in the exam from the exam questions to the organization shows that Ho Chi Minh City National University needs to seriously evaluate and review the organization of this exam to limit errors.
“Ho Chi Minh City National University needs to look directly at the organization and especially the exam questions. An exam that has been implemented for 8 years and still has serious and repeated errors is something that needs to be thoroughly reviewed,” Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh expressed.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/ky-thi-danh-gia-nang-luc-tram-ty-can-lam-ro-pho-diem-venh-bat-thuong-20250618070119998.htm
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