The 2026 high school graduation exam faces many new pressures.

The first exam after the administrative boundary merger presented many challenges in terms of organization, human resources, and ensuring safety in the localities.

On the morning of June 2nd, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) held a nationwide online conference to discuss preparations for the 2026 high school graduation exam.

At the conference, the Ministry of Education and Training frankly acknowledged the many unique difficulties of this year's exam, and at the same time requested localities to absolutely not be complacent in the organization of the exam.

High school graduation exam schedule for 2026. Photo: baochinhphu.

The 2026 high school graduation exam has 1,223,776 registered candidates, an increase of over 61,000 compared to the previous year. Of these, nearly 98.5% registered online. The country plans to set up 2,487 examination centers with nearly 50,000 examination rooms.

According to the plan, candidates will register for the exam on June 10th; take the Literature and Mathematics exams on June 11th; and take the two elective subjects on June 12th. The grading process will take place from June 13th to June 30th, and the results will be announced at 8:00 AM on July 1st, approximately 12 days earlier than in 2025.

At the conference, the Ministry of Education and Training highlighted the major difficulties facing this year's exam organization. Firstly, the high school graduation exam is held in June every year, thus posing a high risk of natural disasters. The 2026 exam is predicted to have complex weather patterns, including intense heat, thunderstorms, heavy rain, storms, and floods, especially in the northern mountainous regions.

Furthermore, the 2026 high school graduation exam will be held in 34 provinces/cities (after mergers). Consequently, the number of candidates per province will increase significantly compared to previous years. For example, Ho Chi Minh City is expected to have 150,000 candidates this year (an increase of over 50% compared to 2025); Ninh Binh is expected to have approximately 50,000 candidates (an increase of about four times compared to 2025). Therefore, the Departments of Education and Training need to proactively develop plans and methods for organizing and managing the exam to ensure smooth operation with the expanded scale compared to previous years.

Furthermore, the use of high technology to cheat in exams is becoming increasingly complex. In recent years, the Ministry of Public Security has dismantled many networks selling miniature listening devices that can be worn in the ear for cheating. The 2025 high school graduation exam recorded and detected cases of candidates using AI to cheat.

On the morning of June 2nd, the Ministry of Education and Training held a nationwide online conference to discuss preparations for the 2026 high school graduation exam. Photo: Ministry of Education and Training.

In response to these pressures, the Ministry of Education and Training has thoroughly implemented Directive No. 20/CT-TTg dated May 18, 2026, of the Prime Minister on organizing the high school graduation exam and university and vocational education admissions in 2026; and continues to strengthen leadership and guidance to ensure thoroughness, comprehensiveness, and focus on key areas.

Simultaneously, the National Examination Steering Committee will hold an online meeting with the Provincial Examination Steering Committees in early June 2026 to unify solutions and direct relevant units to focus intensely on thorough preparation and organization of the examination at the local level. The Ministry also emphasizes the principle of "4 correct, 3 no, 2 enhanced" to ensure the examination is conducted seriously, safely, and effectively.

In addition, the Ministry continues to direct, guide, and strengthen inspection and supervision to ensure the successful implementation of all stages of the exam, such as printing and copying exam papers, invigilation, marking, data comparison of exam scores, announcement of exam results, exam review, and consideration for granting high school graduation certificates in 2026.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/thi-tot-nghiep-thpt-2026-doi-mat-nhieu-ap-luc-moi-d814381.html