However, many classes are of poor quality, unprofessional, and even fraudulent, causing many people to “lose money and suffer”. So, is this an opportunity to help candidates review effectively or just a trap that needs to be alert?
Online exam preparation classes boom
In recent years, university-organized competency assessment exams have become a popular alternative to the high school graduation exam. This has led to an explosion of online exam preparation classes on social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Zalo. With just one click, candidates can access a series of courses at a variety of prices, from free to millions of VND.
Indeed, on social networking sites, it is not difficult to come across posts advertising courses to prepare for competency assessment exams. Just type the keyword "competency assessment exam preparation" on Facebook or TikTok, hundreds of articles and videos about courses appear with attractive invitations such as "full review package for only 299K", "commit to increase 20 points after 1 month", "exam questions are 99% similar to real questions"...
For example, a Facebook page called “Luyen thi danh nghiep cao cap cac” promises that its students can achieve over 900 points on the Ho Chi Minh City National University’s aptitude test after taking a 10-day preparation course. They advertise by posting pictures of high scores from former students, along with positive comments. However, when reporters asked about the teaching methods and materials, the page did not provide clear information.
Or, on the TikTok channel "Teacher T. prepares for competency assessment exams" with more than 100,000 followers. This channel regularly posts short teaching videos with promises such as "just study 30 minutes a day, guaranteed to score over 800 points". In the role of a parent looking for a competency assessment exam preparation class for their child to take the 10th grade entrance exam this year, I was told by a consultant of this channel: "You only need to pay a tuition fee of 100,000 VND/session to be able to attend the classes here. With expertise and many years of experience, your child will definitely make visible progress". To witness this special exam preparation class, we transferred the tuition fee to participate. However, what surprised the reporter was that we only received pre-recorded videos, no interaction with the teacher, and could not ask questions when encountering difficulties.
In addition to courses from reputable test preparation centers, there are many classes organized by individuals or groups of unknown origin. Some people only need a little experience in test preparation or have achieved high scores in the ability assessment test to open their own teaching classes. This makes the quality of courses on the market quite chaotic. Some classes have really high-quality content, but many classes only use copied materials from free sources on the internet without any real investment in teaching.
As competency assessment test preparation courses have become popular, many students who have attended these courses have had mixed opinions. Nguyen Quang Sang (grade 9 student, Thanh Cao Secondary School, Thanh Oai, Hanoi) said: “Studying online helps me save time on commuting, but it is also difficult to concentrate. Sometimes when I have an important lecture, I am distracted by notifications on my phone. There are also courses that disappoint me. My mother once registered me for a course on Facebook for nearly 1 million VND, but the teaching content is no different from free documents online. When I asked the teacher, I only received general feedback, not enthusiastic answers.”
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Anh (Mo Lao ward, Ha Dong, Hanoi) shared: "I see that online exam preparation classes help my child have more study materials and save time. However, there are also many poor quality courses, teachers only send documents but do not teach thoroughly. Once I registered an online course for my child, but the quality was not as expected. The tuition fee was quite high but the content was not close to the exam. Even when my child asked questions, the teacher only answered vaguely. After that, we decided to return to self-study methods with reputable reference books."
Ms. Le Hoang Tham (Van Phu, Ha Dong, Hanoi) also expressed many concerns. Her daughter, a 12th grader, had registered for a test preparation course on Facebook. At first, they promised to provide practice questions similar to the real test, but when she received the materials, she discovered that many questions were taken from free sources online. “I realized I had been scammed, so I contacted them to ask for my money back, but they said it was a fair deal and there was no refund. Seeing that the amount of money was not too large, I had to let it go,” Ms. Tham added.
In addition, some exam preparation classes also apply a "free trial" policy to attract students, but then require them to pay unreasonable fees if they want to continue. Some places also sell courses in a pyramid scheme, meaning that former students are promised commissions if they refer more friends to register. This form is not only lacking in transparency but also easily causes students to fall into a spiral of spending money in vain.
Quality is difficult to control
One of the biggest problems with online exam preparation classes today is that the quality of teaching is uneven and difficult to control. Because there is no strict management agency to supervise, many centers or individuals open exam preparation classes without enough expertise or practical experience in teaching. This causes many students to fall into the situation of "losing money and suffering" when participating in poor quality courses.
On social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok or YouTube, many individuals only need to have high test scores or fluent presentation skills to be able to call themselves "test preparation experts". They set up online study groups, collect tuition fees but do not guarantee the quality of the lectures. Some classes only provide documents compiled from many free sources online without specific teaching. Students have to read and review on their own without receiving clear instructions.
Not only that, some centers also use exaggerated advertisements to attract students such as "commitment to output over 900 points", "guarantee to increase at least 200 points after the course", or "test questions are 99% similar to real questions". However, when students register and study, they realize that the teaching content is not close to reality, the review method is sketchy and there is no clear strategy to help students improve their real scores.
Another problem is that the interaction between teachers and students in online courses is often very low. Many classes only provide pre-recorded videos without any direct instruction. When students have questions, they can only message the group and wait for a response from the tutor, sometimes taking a long time, or even not receiving an answer. This makes many students feel lost and do not receive timely support when they encounter difficulties.
In addition, there are cases where students are blocked from contacting or removed from study groups after paying tuition. Some online exam preparation sites disappear after collecting enough students, leaving many parents and students unable to claim back the money they paid. These fraudulent acts make the quality of online exam preparation classes more difficult to control than ever.
Many teachers also expressed concern about this situation. Mr. Tran Van Hung, a math teacher at a high school in Thanh Oai, Hanoi, shared: "I see many online exam preparation classes that advertise too much, but when students participate, the content is not guaranteed. Online learning is not bad, but there needs to be strict censorship and the selection of truly quality courses."
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, a Literature teacher in Ha Dong district, also shares the same opinion: "Many courses only focus on test-taking tips without helping students master knowledge. This leads to lopsided learning, rote learning and can negatively affect students' exam results. Parents and students need to be alert when choosing a course, and should not just believe in flowery advertisements."
In many cases, "fake centers" are set up just to collect money and then disappear. These courses often use the tactic of "cheap prices, shocking promotions" to attract students to quickly register without time to verify. After receiving the money, they block communication or provide sketchy content, not as originally advertised. Mr. Hoang Van Nam (Quan Hoa ward, Cau Giay district, Hanoi), a parent whose child is studying for a competency assessment exam, shared: "I once registered for an online course for nearly 2 million VND but the quality was very poor. The teacher taught the lesson through pre-recorded videos, without interacting with the students. My child studied for a few sessions and then dropped out, feeling it was ineffective."
Meanwhile, the largest organizations organizing the competency assessment exam, Hanoi National University and Ho Chi Minh City National University, both affirmed that they do not organize exam preparation nor are they affiliated with any organizations or individuals related to competency assessment exam preparation activities.
According to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tien Thao, Director of the Testing Center, Hanoi National University, up to now, Hanoi National University has not cooperated with any organization, center, or individual in providing test sets or practice tests for candidates taking the competency assessment exam; all teachers and lecturers participating in making the competency assessment exam have committed to the unit not to participate in tutoring or practice tests for candidates.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tien Thao said that the practice tests advertised on social networks may be based on sample tests or copied from other schools, making candidates feel that the practice tests are similar to the real test. To achieve high results in this exam, candidates do not need to participate in any form of practice tests but only need to familiarize themselves with the test format through the published sample tests and consolidate their knowledge of high school subjects.
On the side of Ho Chi Minh City National University, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Chinh, Director of the Center for Testing and Training Quality Assessment, also affirmed: The Center for Testing and Training Quality Assessment was assigned by Ho Chi Minh City National University to be in charge of related tasks of the competency assessment exam. This unit does not organize exam preparation, nor is it affiliated with any organization or individual related to competency assessment exam preparation activities.
Faced with the "blooming" situation of exam preparation centers on social networks with many tricks to "entice" candidates, Mr. Nguyen Phu Luong, Deputy Director of the Center for Cyber Security Monitoring, Department of Information Security, Ministry of Information and Communications, recommends that students and parents, when looking for exam preparation centers in general, and exam preparation centers in particular, need to be extremely careful. Students should choose and participate in courses from reputable universities, exam preparation centers or through verified online learning platforms; check the information of the exam preparation center, lecturers and teaching methods.
In addition, parents and students can also ask for opinions from previous students or find reviews from reputable sources; absolutely do not believe in promises of "guaranteed passing", such commitments are often impossible to fulfill and are often signs of fraud. In case of suspected fraud, people should immediately report to the nearest police agency for instructions on how to handle the situation.
Source: https://antg.cand.com.vn/Phong-su/cam-bay-tu-cac-lo-luyen-thi-danh-gia-nang-luc-tren-mang-xa-hoi-i761610/
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