Note regarding the separate exam

In the draft regulations for university admissions in 2025, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) plans to require universities that organize their own entrance exams, such as aptitude and critical thinking tests, to submit the scores for the general admissions process. Regarding exam questions, the draft regulations emphasize that universities must adjust the exam questions to closely follow the curriculum and not assess anything outside of what has been taught.

Candidates participating in the Hanoi University of Science and Technology's Thinking Skills Assessment Exam, December 2023. Photo: HUST.

Creating a favorable and fair environment for candidates.

Currently, there are more than 10 aptitude and thinking assessment exams organized by universities nationwide for university admissions. Approximately 100 other universities also use these results, requiring candidates to submit certificates as proof. After conducting their own separate admissions processes, usually before the high school graduation exam results are released, universities enter candidates' preferences into the Ministry of Education and Training's common system to filter out fraudulent applications.

According to representatives from the Ministry of Education and Training, the number of schools registering to share exam results is increasing, but they require candidates to obtain confirmation slips of exam scores from the exam organizers, causing inconvenience and frustration for test-takers. Therefore, the Ministry plans to require schools organizing their own exams to provide exam result data to the system so that other schools can easily look up and use it for admissions. These institutions will be responsible for the accuracy of the results.

In fact, organizing separate entrance exams or using the results of these exams is the autonomy of universities, as stipulated in the Higher Education Law. However, the existence of numerous separate exams raises concerns that it will force candidates to participate in many more exams, increasing academic pressure. At the same time, some separate exams allow candidates to register multiple times to improve their results, which is advantageous for some but also puts pressure on a segment of candidates who lack the resources to take the exams or take them multiple times. While enrollment quotas are limited, many universities allocate a large portion of their enrollment to the method of evaluating aptitude and thinking skills through exams organized by the university. This puts candidates who do not have the opportunity to take the exams, or who live in remote areas and face difficulties in preparing for the exams, at a disadvantage if they achieve lower scores.

To ensure fairness in the admissions process, the Ministry of Education and Training plans to stipulate that admission scores from all methods (aptitude test, academic transcripts, combination of academic transcripts and international certificates, high school graduation exam, etc.) must be converted to a common scoring scale. From the perspective of educational institutions, implementing this conversion will require careful research and calculation, especially for schools that use multiple admission methods.

Professor Nguyen Dinh Duc - Chairman of the University Council - University of Technology (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) proposed that the minimum admission score should only be set at an equivalent level or proportionally to each other by a certain coefficient k (according to the ratio of quotas and difficulty). This should only apply to admission based on high school academic transcripts.

The exam questions must closely follow the curriculum.

2025 will be the first year that students take the high school graduation exam under the new curriculum. Therefore, the draft regulations emphasize that schools must adjust the exam questions to closely follow the curriculum and not assess anything outside of what has been taught.

However, looking at the sample exam papers for 2025 from several educational institutions, many concerns have been raised. For example, students following the 2018 General Education Program chose to study subjects based on their preferences, abilities, and future career aspirations. However, the 2025 aptitude test from the Ho Chi Minh City National University will test all subjects, without an optional section, contrary to the institution's previous announcement that it would be more suitable for elective subjects. This will make it difficult for many candidates because, throughout their three years of high school, they haven't studied or reviewed these subjects in class, so fully understanding the exam will be challenging. This is especially true for students majoring in social sciences, who may be confused by the maze of scientific symbols, particularly the new way of reading chemical elements that even students who have studied them find difficult. Some opinions also expressed concern that with a separate exam targeting a large number of candidates like this, specialized science and engineering fields or medical and pharmaceutical schools that want to use the exam results for admissions should also carefully consider their options.

Statistics show that the number of candidates participating in the separate entrance exams has reached a record high compared to last year. The aptitude test of the two national universities has over 230,000 participants. Meanwhile, Hanoi University of Science and Technology recorded approximately 40,000 candidates registering for the thinking skills assessment exam, nearly three times more than last year.

Registration is now open for the Hanoi University of Science and Technology's 2025 Thinking Skills Assessment.

Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) has opened registration for candidates wishing to participate in the 2025 Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) exam. This is the earliest institution to begin its 2025 admissions season with its own separate exams. Candidates wishing to take the TSA exam can register at: https://tsa.hust.edu.vn/. The registration deadline is December 6th. The exam fee is 500,000 VND per attempt per candidate. This registration period is for candidates taking the exam on January 18th and 19th, 2025. Candidates can also register to participate in a mock TSA 2025 exam. In 2025, HUST plans to organize the Thinking Skills Assessment in three sessions at 30 testing locations, accommodating approximately 75,000 test-takers. In addition to the previously established examination centers, Hanoi University of Science and Technology will open new examination centers to support students in the Northwest region.

MK

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/tuyen-sinh-dai-hoc-nam-2025-luu-y-ve-ky-thi-rieng-10295748.html