Quang Ninh: Over 15,700 students register for high school entrance exam

According to the Department of Education and Training, a total of 15,736 students across Quang Ninh province have registered for the 2025-2026 high school entrance exam, which is scheduled to take place from May 31 to June 3, 2025.

For the 2025-2026 academic year, Quang Ninh province will, for the first time, implement the 10th-grade entrance exam in line with the 2018 General Education Program, marking a significant shift in Vietnam’s education landscape. The new approach introduces major reforms in exam format, question structure, scoring methods, and organizational procedures, requiring the local education sector to prepare meticulously to ensure a safe, serious, and regulation-compliant examination process that accurately reflects students’ abilities.

Under Circular No. 30/2024/TT-BGDDT, issued by the Ministry of Education and Training on December 30, 2024, this year’s entrance exam includes several key changes. Provinces and cities may now choose between academic record-based admission, entrance exams, or a combination of both. Quang Ninh has opted for the combined method, aligning with local realities and aiming to enhance the overall quality of education.

One of the most notable changes lies in the exam structure. In addition to two compulsory subjects including, Math and Literature, students will take a third subject: a foreign language, selected from English, French, or Chinese. Each subject has a different time allocation: 120 minutes for Math and Literature, and 60 minutes for the foreign language test. This format not only promotes foreign language proficiency but also supports the province’s educational strategy for global integration.

Another major update is the scoring system. For non-specialized high schools, all subjects will now carry equal weight, replacing the previous method where Math and Literature were given double weighting. This change promotes fairness and encourages students to cultivate well-rounded academic abilities. At specialized schools, in addition to the general exams, candidates must take an additional subject-specific test designed to identify and nurture gifted students through highly selective assessment.

The exam schedule has been carefully planned to ensure convenience for students and parents alike:

• May 31: Students report to exam sites to complete procedures, receive exam ID cards, and attend regulation briefings.
• June 1: Literature exam in the morning, followed by the foreign language exam in the afternoon.
• June 2: Math in the morning; specialized subjects such as Informatics, Physics, Biology, History, Geography, French, and Chinese in the afternoon.
• June 3: Remaining specialized subjects (Math, Chemistry, Literature, and English) will be held in the morning.

The schedule includes appropriate breaks between exams, supporting both the physical health and mental well-being of test-takers.

According to the provincial Department of Education and Training, a total of 15,736 students have registered for this year’s high school entrance exam. Of those, 1,010 students applied to Ha Long High School for the Gifted, reaffirming its status as a leading institution in the province. Among first-choice specialized subjects, English attracted the highest number of applicants (231), followed by Literature (150), Math (135), Chinese (77), Chemistry (81), Biology (59), Physics (45), and Informatics (48). Second-choice preferences, though fewer, also showed strong interest in English (19) and Literature (18), reflecting students’ diverse academic strengths and aspirations.

In order to accommodate the exam, the province has established 32 testing sites at 32 of its 37 public high schools, with a total of 654 exam rooms. Several schools reported especially high numbers of candidates, including Uong Bi High School (1,054), Ngo Quyen High School in Ha Long city (906), Cam Pha High School (835), and Tran Phu High School in Mong Cai city (707). Over 2,000 personnel, including teachers, staff, and support teams, have been mobilized to ensure smooth and orderly exam operations.

At Ha Long High School for the Gifted Students, 1,010 applicants will be assigned to 42 exam rooms, overseen by 127 educators and exam officials.