From IELTS, TOEIC students turn to VSTEP exam

Thao Quan is studying for the VSTEP exam - Photo: NGOC LAN

VSTEP (Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency) is a standardized test to assess English proficiency issued by the Ministry of Education and Training according to the six-level foreign language proficiency framework, equivalent to levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2 and used in Vietnam.

Currently, VSTEP certificate is of interest to many students as many universities use it in admission and graduation.

"Easy to review, economical"

Quach Lam Thao Quan, a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Ho Chi Minh City National University), is in the final stages of reviewing for the VSTEP certificate exam.

Instead of choosing IELTS, TOEFL or TOEIC, Thao Quan thinks that studying VSTEP is better because the amount of knowledge and difficulty is lighter, while you are oriented from the beginning when graduating, you do not need to be too fluent in English, just enough to graduate and communicate.

"Around me, there are quite a few friends who are interested in VSTEP because we find VSTEP easier than other certificates. The exam structure is quite similar to the high school graduation exam. However, to get B2 or higher, you have to make an effort. I have a lot of difficulty with reading because my vocabulary is quite limited," Thao Quan said.

Thao Quan said that his close friends found this certificate easier to study, closer to the types of lessons they learned in high school, so they "turned around", from studying for the TOEIC exam to VSTEP. In addition to self-study, he is studying for the VSTEP exam at an English center, the course teaches all four skills with a tuition fee of about 3 million VND. According to the schedule, he will take the exam and get the certificate this June.

Quynh Chau, a student at the University of Finance and Marketing in Ho Chi Minh City, accidentally learned about VSTEP through friends on social networks. After researching, Chau chose VSTEP even though most people around her still chose TOEIC and IELTS.

You commented: "I find the test format quite similar to the knowledge reviewed for the university entrance exam, especially in the reading section, not too academic like IELTS, so I find it easier to breathe when choosing VSTEP, the writing section is also quite popular and close to learning. The question format only has multiple choice ABCD answers, there is no fill-in-the-blank or question-answer format."

Exam preparation centers are booming.

If there are people who study for the exam, there will definitely be exam preparation. It is not difficult to find VSTEP exam preparation addresses in Ho Chi Minh City and major cities such as Hanoi , Da Nang, Can Tho, from foreign language centers of universities, outside centers to individual instructors. Online VSTEP courses are also very popular on Facebook.

Each course usually lasts about 1-6 months, depending on the level the candidate wants to achieve. Many courses advertise output guarantees, reaching VSTEP B1 level after only one month, or there are courses that promise as "hard as nails" that will help learners reach B2 level after only 15 sessions.

Tuition fees generally range from 1.5 to 3.5 million VND, depending on the duration of each course. There are online teaching centers that advertise the price per person at only... 6,000 VND/day.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Van, who is currently collaborating with an English center in District 3 (HCMC) to teach VSTEP, said he is teaching three VSTEP classes a week, each with about 15 students. Most of them are university students, only 1-2 are pupils. Compared to last year, the number of students that Mr. Van is in charge of this year has increased 3 times.

"Most of you who choose to study VSTEP have an average level of English ability. In my personal opinion, although the VSTEP test also tests four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, the VSTEP test is more suitable for you than TOEIC. You only need about 3-4 sessions to grasp the types of questions. However, if you want to achieve high scores, you also have to expand your vocabulary," said Mr. Van.

Mr. Phung Quang Huy, an English teacher at the High School of Educational Sciences (Hanoi National University), shared that some students choose to review in IELTS classes and then choose to take the VSTEP certificate exam. According to him, the content of the standardized English tests is usually not too different, because the ultimate goal is to test the English proficiency of the learner.

Therefore, it is not necessary to study for the VSTEP exam if you want to take the VSTEP exam. You can study any English program, or even study on your own to participate in the exam. "However, I observed a student studying for the IELTS exam when taking the VSTEP exam and found it very easy," said Mr. Huy.

Note the value of use

Dr. Pham Tan Ha, Vice Principal of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Ho Chi Minh City National University), said that the certificate according to the six-level foreign language proficiency framework has only been recognized in Vietnam and has not yet been recognized internationally, so those who wish to study abroad will find it difficult to use this certificate.

Mr. Ha added that when learning a foreign language, each student needs to determine specific goals at each specific time, learning environment and personal efforts to be able to achieve their wishes.

Both "cheap" and unlimited usage time

Van Toi, a student at the University of Natural Sciences (Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City), is working hard to review his English for the VSTEP exam. Toi said he chose VSTEP because the exam fee was quite cheap, about 1.3 million VND.

Including tuition fees at the center, the total "loss" is still less than 4.5 million VND. Meanwhile, the IELTS registration fee alone is more than 4.6 million VND, plus the cost of studying for at least 3-6 months. Not to mention, it only takes 5-7 days to get the results and especially VSTEP has no time limit for use.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tu-ielts-toeic-sinh-vien-re-sang-thi-vstep-20240525083525688.htm