New method ensures candidates' rights

TP - The Ministry of Education and Training requires universities to use the percentile table (a type of exam score ranking) that the Ministry will soon announce when converting scores and determining benchmark scores between groups. This is to ensure fairness for candidates. Educational institutions that use percentiles that are not in the Ministry's framework or do not use them will have to explain.

Candidates are researching information on registering their preferences for the 2025 university entrance exam. Photo: NHU Y

Percentile method

Reporters observed that at the recently held 2025 University Aspirations Selection Day, many parents and candidates expressed concerns about the disparity in scores between subjects in this year's high school graduation exam. With low scores in Math and English, candidates using the D01 (Mathematics, Literature, English) or D07 (Mathematics, Chemistry, English) combinations will be at a disadvantage compared to those using other combinations.

Some parents have stated that many departments at Hanoi Capital University and Thai Nguyen University of Education are simultaneously accepting applications for the D01 and A01 subject combinations (Mathematics, Physics, English), and the C subject combination, including C00 (Literature, History, Geography) and C07 (Literature, Physics, History). This year, with the average scores for the C subject combination 2-3 points higher than other combinations, how can students possibly compete?

Professor Nguyen Tien Thao, Director of the Higher Education Department ( Ministry of Education and Training ), said that this year, the difference compared to previous years is that the admission scores will be converted to the same scale across all admission methods and the percentile method will be used to convert and determine the degree of similarity between subject combinations to ensure maximum fairness for candidates.

Thus, a training program may use multiple subject combinations and admission methods, but the difference in scores between these combinations will be adjusted using the percentile method.

According to Mr. Thao, at this point, the admissions process has not yet begun, and many schools have not yet announced the percentile scores. Schools that use two or more subject combinations for admission to a single major without using the percentile method will have to provide an explanation.

Parents and candidates need not worry, as schools must make adjustments based on percentiles to ensure the rights of the candidates are protected.

Mr. Thao predicted that there will be changes in the cutoff scores for various majors and universities this year because the combined scores of the high school graduation exam have fluctuated compared to last year.

The Ministry of Education and Training will publish the percentile table on July 21st for schools to refer to and implement. Following that, it will announce the minimum quality assurance thresholds for admission to health science and teacher training programs.

Large difference

Colonel Do Thanh Tam, Secretary of the Military Admissions Board, Ministry of National Defense , stated that according to the 2025 admissions regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, schools are not allowed to divide quotas according to individual admission methods or subject combinations. Military schools will also comply with this regulation.

When conducting admissions, if a school uses multiple methods and combinations of subjects for admission, military schools may determine the score difference between these combinations to ensure fairness when candidates have equivalent admission scores.

In 2025, military schools that use multiple admission combinations but where each combination contains two common subjects will use a single cutoff score for all combinations. Mr. Tam informed that three military schools are expected to have score discrepancies: the Border Guard Academy (between combination C00 and combination A01), the Political Officer School (between combination A00 and combination C00, combination D01), and the Cryptography Technical College (between combination A00, combination A01, and combination D01).

The remaining 17 military schools will mostly use a single common benchmark because the admission combinations include two common subjects. For example, the Military Technical Academy uses three combinations: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry; Mathematics, Physics, English; and Mathematics, Physics, Informatics.

The Institute for Digital Training and Testing, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, has just announced the equivalent percentile table between the scores of the National Competency Assessment Exam (HAS) organized by the university and the scores of the high school graduation exam for the following subject combinations in 2025: A00 (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry), B00 (Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology), C00, and D01.

Accordingly, 130 HSA points is equivalent to 30/30 points for combination A00; 29.5/30 points for combinations C00 and B00; and 27.75/30 points for combination D01.

Thus, after using the percentile table, it can be seen that there is a significant difference in scores between the combinations. For example, the ability of a candidate achieving a perfect score of 30/30 in combination A00 is equivalent to a candidate taking combination D01 achieving 27.75 points (a difference of 2.25 points).

This conversion table is intended to help higher education institutions use it as a reference in university admissions or to develop equivalent conversion tables that suit the admission requirements of each school.

Hanoi University of Science and Technology announced that the subject combinations A00, A01, A02, B00, D07, D26, D28, D29, and K01 will have a higher cutoff score than subject combinations D01 and D04 by 0.5 points when determining the cutoff scores for the engineering and science-education, economics, and language majors.

Candidates only need to click the mouse 3 times.

Associate Professor Vu Duy Hai, Head of the Admissions and Career Guidance Board of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, said that when registering their preferences on the Ministry of Education and Training's admissions system, candidates only need three clicks. First, they can arrange their preferences in order of preference and desire. Second, they can choose a university. Third, they can choose a major (for each preference).

Even without early admissions, candidates do not need to register for subject combinations or admission methods. The admissions system automatically selects the most advantageous combination/method for the candidate. The general admissions system only displays data such as high school graduation exam scores, academic transcripts, and foreign language certificates of the candidate.

Other data, such as aptitude test scores and critical thinking test scores, exist in the universities' admissions systems, and the universities are responsible for processing and selecting candidates during the filtering process.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/phuong-phap-moi-dam-bao-quyen-loi-cho-thi-sinh-post1762005.tpo