"Bringing school to candidates" in 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City: Answering many questions about grade 10 admission

On the morning of April 12, Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper organized a Consulting Day for choosing wishes to enter grade 10 for the 2025-2026 school year, with the coordination of the Department of Education and Training (GD-DT) of Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Education and Training of District 1 with the participation of high schools and nearly 1,000 grade 9 students. This is an activity within the program series "Bringing schools to candidates" in 2025 organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper.

Only adjust your wishes once.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the 10th grade entrance exam for the 2025-2026 school year will take place on June 6 and 7. This year, 114 public high schools in Ho Chi Minh City will enroll more than 70,000 students in grade 10; the rest can study at non-public high schools, vocational education centers, continuing education centers, etc.

Representative of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training informed the most important points of the 10th grade exam

Regarding the 10th grade entrance exam for the 2025-2026 school year, Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Mai, Deputy Head of the Examination and Quality Control Department - Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, said that the admission subjects are students who are directly admitted to grade 10 and register for the 10th grade exam. Students who are directly admitted include: students from very small ethnic minorities; students with disabilities; junior high school students who have won national prizes organized by the Ministry of Education and Training or in coordination with ministries and ministerial-level agencies organized nationwide for competitions, exams, and competitions on culture, arts, and sports; scientific and technical research competitions; junior high school students who have won prizes in international competitions decided and selected by the Minister of Education and Training.

Grade 9 students in Ho Chi Minh City ask questions to the advisory board. Photo: QUANG LIEM

"Students who are eligible for direct admission need to consider which category they belong to. For example, students who are eligible for direct admission must have achievements in sports to register for a sports school. Students who are eligible for direct admission can still register for the 10th grade exam," Ms. Mai noted.

For students who register for the exam and are studying at secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City, the admission score is the total score of 3 subjects (coefficient 1) math + literature + foreign language and priority points (if any). Candidates are eligible for admission when no subject has a score of zero (0). Candidates register for the exam and admission to grade 10 online. Candidates need to carefully review the registration information because if it does not match, it will be very difficult to adjust.

Ms. Xuan Mai also emphasized that candidates can only adjust their preferences once after registering. The Department of Education and Training will publish statistics on the number of candidates registering their preferences so that candidates can use them as a basis when they want to adjust their preferences.

Fierce competition to enter specialized schools

From this year, non-specialized schools in Ho Chi Minh City such as Nguyen Thuong Hien High School, Gia Dinh High School, Nguyen Huu Huan High School, and Mac Dinh Chi High School will stop enrolling students in the specialized program. Candidates who want to register for the specialized class will register 2 wishes at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted and Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted. The admission score is the total score of 3 non-specialized subjects (coefficient 1) and the specialized subject score (coefficient 2) with the condition that no subject has a score below 2.

Answering students' questions about the changes in admission to specialized 10th grade, Mr. Lam Trieu Nghi, Principal of Nguyen Thuong Hien High School, said that Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted and Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted both recruit students nationwide, so the competition will be very high. With experience working with specialized schools and schools that often have specialized classes, Mr. Nghi said that students must have outstanding abilities in a certain subject to choose to study a specialized subject. If you are only good at studying but have no passion, it will be very difficult to study a specialized class at a specialized school.

Ms. Tran Thi Hong Thuy, Principal of Tran Dai Nghia Secondary and High School, said that many students "randomly" choose specialized subjects to enter specialized schools. This is not effective for future learning. If admitted, students will be confused in their specialized subjects and it will affect other subjects.

In addition to the specialized system in specialized schools, many high schools also have integrated classes. Students studying the integrated program in junior high school can register for 3 wishes at 3 schools that organize the integrated program; students who do not study integrated programs in junior high school but want to study integrated programs in high school must have good academic performance or higher. Candidates take 4 subjects and no subject has zero (0) points. Candidates taking the integrated 10th grade exam also have 3 more wishes to be admitted to the regular 10th grade. Between the integrated 10th grade and the specialized 10th grade, candidates can only choose 1: take the entrance exam, apply to the specialized 10th grade and the regular 10th grade or integrated and the regular 10th grade.

Focus on strong subjects or improve weak subjects?

At the program, many students said that the 10th grade entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City has 3 subjects but their academic performance in the 3 subjects is not equal, so they need advice from the advisory board. Student Thuy Trinh said that she is having problems with English because her actual score is still low, at 6 - 6.5, while she needs 8 - 8.5 points.

Answering this question, the representative of the team of teachers compiling the 9th grade review book - Phuong Nam Education Investment and Development Joint Stock Company noted that the first thing is that students need to grasp the structure of this year's English exam. Whichever part they are weak in, they need to focus more on that part to improve. Students need to study by topic and main point. When doing the test, they need to cherish each point and be careful in each question. Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Vice Principal of Nam Viet School System, advised students to maintain confidence in both subjects and focus time on the weak subject to improve their scores.

MSc. To Thi Van Anh - lecturer at Binh Duong University, teacher at Tan Phu Secondary School, Thu Duc City (author of the 10th grade math admission book series) - said that in addition to studying in class with teachers, if parents are looking for a tutor for their children, they should choose a teacher who has a good grasp of the 2018 General Education Program because compared to before, the knowledge in the new program has changed a lot.

Answering students' concerns about whether they can be admitted to grade 10 with only 7 points per subject, Mr. Tran Hai Binh, Vice Principal of Ten Lo Man High School (District 1), said: "If your academic performance is around 7 points, you can confidently apply for your first choice at Ten Lo Man High School."

Mr. Binh also noted that to best prepare, students can consider reviewing with a tutor or doing more practice tests. However, taking time to rest and relax is also extremely necessary to ensure a comfortable spirit before the exam.

Things to consider when choosing a school

Many students also pay attention to teaching conditions and extracurricular activities at schools. Ms. Le Thi Minh Ha, Vice Principal of Nguyen Thi Dieu High School (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City), said that the school has a 2-session/day study program. The highlight is that the school has more than 45 diverse clubs that operate regularly, helping students freely explore and develop their personal talents and interests.

"Currently, the school is organizing boarding school for students who want to stay. At the same time, the school promotes improving foreign language skills through classes with foreign teachers," Ms. Ha added.

According to Mr. Le Nhu Dang - assistant principal, admissions consultant of Nam Viet School System - choosing a high school is like choosing a pair of shoes. If you choose a pair of shoes that do not fit well and are not comfortable, the journey ahead will be very difficult. In addition to choosing a public high school, parents and students can choose a private high school. When choosing a school, it is important to consider 4 criteria: Training quality, facilities, tuition, and geographical location.

Ms. Xuan Mai noted that when registering to choose a school, candidates need to carefully research whether the school they choose has the subjects they want or not. If the school does not organize the subject they choose and have to switch to another subject, it will be difficult to have good academic results in high school. Students should consult with their current teachers to make a good choice.

We would like to thank the following units for their support: Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company, Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (HDBank), Vingroup Corporation, Sun Group Corporation, Uniben Joint Stock Company and supporting units: Nam Viet International Education Group Joint Stock Company, Phuong Nam Education Investment and Development Joint Stock Company, E-Test English Joint Stock Company, American Study Education Joint Stock Company - Branch No. 01.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/dua-truong-hoc-den-thi-sinh-nam-2025-tai-tp-hcm-giai-dap-nhieu-cau-hoi-ve-tuyen-sinh-lop-10-196250412203251813.htm