10th grade exam in HCMC: Next school year, some schools will consider transcripts

On the afternoon of July 16th, Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, announced that the entrance exam for 10th grade in the 2026-2027 school year is expected to combine two methods: selection based on academic records and examination.

Accordingly, Ho Chi Minh City plans to conduct admissions in some specific areas. In previous years, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training applied this method to students in Thanh An island commune (formerly Can Gio district).

Candidates taking the 10th grade entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: CP

For the remaining public high schools, the Department of Education and Training will organize entrance exams with three subjects: Literature, Mathematics, and Foreign Language. This plan is basically the same as this year's 10th grade entrance exam and will be submitted to the Director of the Department of Education and Training.

According to the deputy director of the Department of Education and Training, maintaining the number of subjects in the entrance exam at three levels aims to facilitate parents, students, and schools after Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau merged into Ho Chi Minh City.

Earlier, at a professional briefing meeting, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training , requested that units under the Department promptly propose a plan for the 10th grade entrance exam for the 2026-2027 school year to help students and teachers have a clear direction in teaching and learning.

At the same time, Mr. Hieu also requested the Department's Office to take the lead in developing a plan to determine the coordinates of all educational institutions in the area in order to prepare for the enrollment of students in the first grades.

2025 is the first year that Ho Chi Minh City and provinces and cities across the country will conduct 10th grade enrollment according to Circular 30/2024 of the Ministry of Education and Training . There are 3 methods of 10th grade high school enrollment: entrance exam, selection, or a combination of entrance exam and selection. The selection of the enrollment method is under the authority of the locality.

Specifically for the entrance exam, the test includes Mathematics, Literature, and a third subject (or a combined test). This subject is selected by the Department of Education and Training from subjects assessed by scores, including: Foreign Language 1, Civic Education, Natural Sciences, History and Geography, Technology, and Informatics.

However, provinces and cities cannot choose a subject for more than three consecutive years. The choice of admission method is within the authority of the local government.

For the entrance exam to grade 10 of high school, localities will conduct three subjects/tests. Specifically, Mathematics, Literature, and a third subject/test chosen by the Department of Education and Training.

The third exam subject is selected from among the subjects assessed by scores in the general education program at the secondary level, ensuring that the same third exam subject is not selected for more than 3 consecutive years.

The third exam is a combined exam of a number of subjects selected from among the subjects assessed by scores in the general education program at the secondary school level.