When taking the entrance exam to Gifted High School, what do 9th grade candidates worry about most?

Candidates see the exam room diagram at the Gifted High School, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City

PHOTO: NGOC LONG

Study more to be competitive

At the exam site of the Gifted High School in District 5, hundreds of candidates from secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City arrived quite early to have breakfast and check the exam room map, including Nguyen Nguyen Anh, a student at Tran Quoc Toan Secondary School (Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City). "At first, I didn't intend to go to school, but after winning the city prize in the 9th grade, I started to be interested in studying specialized subjects," the female student said.

Having won first prize in the Biology competition in Thu Duc City and third prize in the Biology competition in Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Anh said he chose the Gifted High School because it has a very good learning environment, not to mention that the school's admission period is not related to the 10th grade exam, so it is quite comfortable to study. "I have prepared myself mentally that if I pass, it would be great, but if I fail, it is okay," Nguyen Anh said optimistically.

To prepare for this exam, the female student said she had to register for a course at the center specializing in reviewing 10th grade exam questions of the Gifted High School because this type of exam is very different from the 10th grade exam questions of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training. This review not only helps the female student gain more experience and test-taking skills but also helps her practice her exam-room mentality.

"Math and non-major English are the two subjects I worry about the most because this year we study completely according to the new program, the exam questions of the Gifted High School and the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City also have changes. However, my teacher also reassured me that even though the exam questions may not be the same as before, if I have the ability, it will be okay," Nguyen Anh shared.

Candidates Dang Huy (middle) and The Danh (right cover) take the opportunity to review their knowledge before entering the exam room.

PHOTO: NGOC LONG

Ha Nguyen Dang Huy, a student at Nguyen Du Secondary School (Go Vap District), is quite hesitant about literature because it is not his forte, especially when the test material is not in the textbook. Choosing to take the exam for a specialized IT class, Huy said that the test requires programming to solve the problems and issues presented. "The knowledge in the test is quite broad, so I also have to take extra classes," Huy shared.

Also registering for the IT specialized class, Do The Danh, a student at Huynh Van Nghe Secondary School (Go Vap District), said he was "just a little worried" before this year's exam, because he had also taken the mock exam before at sessions organized by the Gifted High School and the center where he studied. "For non-specialized English, my teachers said it would be very difficult to get a score of 10. That is the score of a genius," Danh recalled.

Topic of Gifted High School "expanding and improving"

Nguyen Minh Tu and Hoang Phuong Thao, students of Hoang Hoa Tham Secondary School in Tan Binh District, said they started learning about the school in grades 8 and 9. According to the two female students, the difficulty of the 10th grade exam at the Gifted High School is that it is more extensive and advanced than the exam of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, both in regular subjects and specialized subjects. That is why the two students had to take extra classes to gain knowledge and how to solve the questions.

About 3,500 candidates are 9th grade students competing for admission to Gifted High School.

PHOTO: NGOC LONG

Both Tu and Thao chose to take the specialized chemistry exam, and both said that the specialized class exam was "much more difficult" than the gifted student exam they had taken a few months ago. Taking multiple choice tests in non-major literature or dealing with new vocabulary in non-major English - which was not taught in the regular class - was also a challenge for the two female students.

"We found that the 10th grade exam in Ho Chi Minh City is within the 9th grade curriculum, just a bit tricky and does not contain knowledge outside of the textbook. Meanwhile, in the exam for the Gifted High School, the advanced and extended questions will be the ones that score points and decide who will be admitted," the two female students shared. "Especially the advanced questions, you cannot solve them just by studying more."

Compared to the 2024-2025 school year, this year's entrance exam for the Gifted High School has a lower competition rate, and this year the highest competition rate is in the 10th grade math and English majors. According to school regulations, after the entrance exam, the school will announce the official questions and answers for all subjects. In previous years, the school usually announced the questions and answers about 10 days after the exam.

Parents check documents with candidates

PHOTO: NGOC LONG

The leaders of the Gifted High School said that it is expected that on June 9-10, the school will announce the exam scores and admission scores. In the 2025-2026 school year, the school's enrollment target is 595 students, with a total of 3,509 students registering for the exam. This is also the only school in Ho Chi Minh City that organizes its own entrance exam, independent of the 10th grade exam organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thi-vao-truong-pho-thong-nang-khieu-thi-sinh-lop-9-lo-nhat-dieu-gi-185250524094254155.htm