How are "elite" candidates interviewed by the University of Technology?

(Dan Tri) - 450 teachers divided into 300 interview boards for 3,000 talented candidates to enter Hanoi University of Science and Technology this morning (June 22).

Closer than imagined

Each exam room has about 9-10 candidates. 3 lecturers take turns interviewing candidates in a 3-1 style. On average, each candidate is interviewed for 10 minutes.

Smiling as he walked out of the exam room, Nguyen Trung Hieu, a student majoring in IT at the High School for Gifted Students in Natural Sciences (Hanoi National University), said that his interview was quite long.

“The interview was completely different from what I had thought before: no stress, no tricky questions. The teacher asked about my academic performance at school, any outstanding achievements? Seeing that I was hesitant about the mechatronics major, and was hesitant between the standard and advanced programs, the teacher explained to me about opportunities and suitable career orientation. Overall, I felt like it was a friendly conversation, not like I imagined,” Hieu said.

Each candidate is interviewed by 3 teachers at each council (Photo: Duy Thanh).

It is known that before the interview, the male student participated in forums and studied the interview questions of talented candidates from previous years to prepare some basic knowledge. He hopes that he will be evaluated as satisfactory during the interview.

Nguyen Nam Hoang, a math major student at Nguyen Hue High School for the Gifted, Hanoi, said that at the beginning of the interview, the teachers asked him to introduce himself, his understanding of the school, the reason for choosing Management Information Systems, his future study path, and his plan for the next 4 years if he passed the entrance exam to the University of Science and Technology.

“My interview lasted about 8-10 minutes. In general, the questions were open-ended and about myself, so it was easy for me to answer. The teachers were friendly,” said Hoang.

According to this male student, the night before, he was quite nervous so he tossed and turned until 1-2am before falling asleep. He did his best in today’s interview and is waiting for the results.

At the end of the interview this morning, Hoang Minh Quang (student of Yen Lap High School, Phu Tho province) and his parents packed their suitcases and took the bus home.

Quang arrived in Hanoi the day before. The three of them rented a motel near the school. Quang was an excellent student for three years and won second prize in biology in Phu Tho province.

“During the interview, the teachers asked me to introduce myself, the reason for choosing Chemical Engineering, what my plans were when I went to this school, my study plan, my family situation and financial ability, and if I failed this major, what would I study? I think I answered as best as I could,” Quang said.

Many candidates were surprised by the open-ended interview questions, the friendly teachers, and the lack of tricky questions and answers (Photo: Duy Thanh).

Twice as many candidates as last year

This year, Hanoi University of Science and Technology plans to recruit 9,680 students through three methods: talent selection, thinking assessment test scores, and high school graduation exam scores.

Today, the school organized a meeting with talented candidates and interviewed candidates for the combined application and interview.

Responding to Dan Tri reporter, Associate Professor Dr. Vu Duy Hai, Head of Admissions and Career Guidance Department, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, said that this year Hanoi University of Science and Technology received about 5,000 applications for talent recruitment.

Of these, 400 students won national and international prizes (direct admission according to regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training); 1,600 candidates were considered based on international certificates such as SAT, ACT, A-Level, AP or IB; about 3,000 students registered for capacity profile review combined with interview.

Mr. Hai said that the interview does not test knowledge but rather test presentation skills and understanding of the profession and society. This part this year is only a condition. Candidates who score 10/20 are considered to pass, and it is not counted towards the general admission score along with academic performance and achievements like every year.

Candidates submit their application for talent selection this morning (Photo: My Ha).

According to Mr. Hai, the number of candidates with national and international prizes and international certificates nearly doubled compared to last year.

With international certificates, many students have achieved high results such as SAT score 1600/1600 with IELTS 8.0, AP 15/15 and IELTS 8.5. Some students achieved A-Level 30/30 with IELTS 7.5.

According to Mr. Hai, this year the number of candidates registering for international certificates has increased sharply because more and more students are taking exams to obtain these certificates.

In addition, the fact that some countries like the US have recently begun to limit the number of international students they accept may also be the reason why more students are applying to Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

According to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, Hanoi University of Science and Technology will convert the admission scores between the methods. The talent admission scores (on a scale of 100) of candidates will also be converted to the same scale as the thinking assessment and high school graduation exam scores to consider admission from high to low.

According to Mr. Hai's assessment, based on annual data, many candidates have good presentation skills. Rarely, there are some students who only score 12/20, who are shy to communicate, when standing in front of teachers, they are very nervous and cannot present. Most of the remaining students who participated in the interview scored 14-18/20.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/thi-sinh-dien-tinh-hoa-duoc-dh-bach-khoa-phong-van-ra-sao-20250622112347167.htm