10th grade entrance exam in Hanoi: Parents and students "wait with bated breath" for the third exam subject

Some localities have announced the entrance exam plan for grade 10 in the 2025-2026 school year with 3 subjects. Meanwhile, students and parents in Hanoi are waiting for the exam plan to soon have a review plan and reduce pressure.

The pressure of the 10th grade entrance exam is great.

The Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City has just announced the enrollment for grade 10 next year, including 3 subjects: Math, Literature, and Foreign Language. The exam is stable in terms of subjects, structure, and assessment level to help schools, teachers, parents, and students feel secure in teaching and orienting their learning and reviewing in the first school year after the merger.

In addition, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City has announced reference questions for exam subjects so that teachers and students can grasp the structure and difficulty level, have orientation of necessary knowledge and skills when entering high school, and facilitate review.

The Department of Education and Training of Da Nang City has also announced that the third subject of the 10th grade entrance exam for the next school year is Foreign Language. Math and Literature are compulsory, and for Foreign Language, candidates can choose to take the exam in English, French or Japanese.

Previously, Mr. Tran The Cuong, Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, said that this year, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training plans to propose to the City People's Committee to organize the 10th grade entrance exam later than last year. The reason is that the Ministry of Education and Training plans to organize the 2026 high school graduation exam from June 11-12, 2026, 2 weeks earlier than in 2025.

“This adjustment is to ensure compliance with the 2026-2027 school year schedule issued by the Ministry of Education and Training and at the same time create conditions for 9th grade students to have more time to review,” said the Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training.

The 10th grade entrance exam makes parents worried. Photo: N.Minh

Up to this point, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training has not yet announced the 10th grade entrance exam plan for the next school year. According to tradition, this exam will be announced in March of the following year.

Having a child in grade 9, Mr. Nguyen Van Giap (Tuong Mai Ward, Hanoi) expressed: "We hope the city will soon announce the exam plan for grade 10 so that our children can have a suitable review plan. Knowing the exam subjects will help students reduce pressure and avoid the situation of racing to review in a short time."

Parent Dang Lan Anh (Ha Dong, Hanoi) said: "The increasing pressure to enter grade 10 is mainly due to the lack of schools. When the number of public high schools does not meet the learning needs, the competition to enter grade 10 is becoming more and more intense. Besides, the two subjects of Math and Literature have a lot of knowledge, plus having to wait for the third exam subject increases the pressure. Parents and students hope that the city will soon announce the third exam subject so that they can have a long-term review plan and choose a school that suits the students' abilities."

Feeling the great pressure of the 10th grade entrance exam, parent Pham Hai Chau (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) shared: "If the current high school graduation exam opens up many admission options and choices for students with a wide range of scores, then the door to university will also become more accessible. On the contrary, the 10th grade entrance exam is really the most stressful race for Hanoi students. The competition rate is high, the standard score difference is only 0.1 points, so just one wrong answer can make students lose the opportunity to be admitted."

Turn challenges into opportunities for improvement

Speaking to a reporter from the Vietnam Women's Newspaper, Ms. Nguyen Thu Ha, Principal of Trung Vuong Secondary School, Hanoi, commented that the entrance exam for grade 10 at public schools is too big: "Currently, the school is implementing the school year plan equally for all subjects. Parents and students all hope that the Hanoi Department of Education and Training will soon announce the third exam subject so that they can proactively review and reduce the stress of the exam."

According to the principal of Trung Vuong Secondary School, if the exam schedule is postponed until the end of June, students will have to extend their review time by a few more weeks, while during this period the hot weather and fatigue can easily cause students to lose concentration.

"Early exams maintain fairness and reduce stress, ending a long and stressful review journey. If the exam is postponed to the end of June, it means prolonging the pressure for students, parents and teachers. Schools and teachers always accompany students and parents to promptly support, resolve difficulties and orient appropriate study plans," Ms. Nguyen Thu Ha expressed.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Tuan, Principal of Tay Tuu Secondary School, Hanoi said: "In previous years, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training often announced the third subject of the 10th grade entrance exam in late February or early March, about three months before the exam took place. The school encourages students to study with peace of mind; immediately after the city announces the third subject, the school will implement a suitable review plan so that students can confidently enter this important exam."

Regarding the school's plan to prepare grade 9 students for the 10th grade exam, Ms. Pham Dam Tuyet Hoa, Principal of Linh Dam Secondary School, Hanoi, said: "Currently, the school still teaches and learns according to the main curriculum and reviews and grasps knowledge as they learn. The school strictly follows Circular 29/2024/TT-BGDDT on regulations on extra teaching and learning of the Ministry of Education and Training, students study 3 free periods of Math - Literature - Foreign Language (English) per week."

Explaining the 3 free lessons, the female Principal of Linh Dam Secondary School said: "Math and Literature are two subjects for the 10th grade entrance exam, the school has a policy of reviewing them right from the beginning of the school year. As for English, this is a subject that is taught and learned as a second language in the school, although the 3rd subject of the 10th grade entrance exam is not yet known. As every year, Hanoi will announce the 3rd subject three months before the 10th grade entrance exam. So the school has a plan from the beginning of the school year for the two main subjects, Math and Literature."

The exam is not only a challenge for students, but also puts pressure on families and teachers. Illustrative photo

According to Ms. Pham Dam Tuyet Hoa, the school has many years of experience in teaching, learning, and exam preparation, so parents and students can rest assured and not be stressed before the 10th grade entrance exam. Sometimes, announcing the third exam early causes students to study unevenly and ignore other subjects. Students need to study all subjects evenly instead of focusing on only 3 subjects. On the positive side, not announcing the third exam is an opportunity to help students improve their skills and knowledge in other subjects.

Furthermore, the city has spent 525.8 billion VND to support tuition fees for all preschool children and high school students at all levels in private schools and high-quality public schools. So if students are not lucky enough to be admitted to public high schools, they should seize the opportunity to enter private schools to continue their studies. Parents should be companions, helping their children have the best spirit to enter this important exam. Whatever the result, we should accept it in a positive way, minimizing the pressure that leads to unnecessary damage.

The entrance exam for grade 10 in Hanoi is particularly stressful as the number of junior high school graduates entering grade 10 in public high schools is only about 60%. Therefore, many opinions say that Hanoi should have a stable enrollment plan so that students do not have to endure unnecessary stress.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/thi-vao-lop-10-o-ha-noi-phu-huynh-hoc-sinh-dai-co-doi-mon-thi-thu-3-20251117000439473.htm