Many changes in the entrance exam plan for grade 10 specialized high schools in Hanoi

The 2025-2026 school year is the first year that students take the 10th grade entrance exam according to the new general education program issued in 2018, so the 10th grade entrance exam plan for specialized high schools has also been adjusted with many changes compared to before.

Students with good academic performance or above are eligible to take the exam.

According to the enrollment plan for grade 10 specialized high schools just announced by the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, students participating in the exam will have to go through 2 rounds. In which, round 1 organizes a preliminary selection for students who meet the admission requirements and have valid application documents; round 2 organizes an entrance exam for students who have passed the preliminary selection. Each student can register for specialized classes at 2 out of 4 schools: Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, Nguyen Hue High School for the Gifted, Chu Van An High School for the Gifted, Son Tay High School for the Gifted.

Students can register for the same major at two schools, but must prioritize their first choice school and their second choice school. Students can register for different majors at two schools, provided that the exam dates for those majors do not overlap.

In the preliminary round, schools will be evaluated based on the criteria and scored. Specifically, the results of participation in social activities, talent competitions within the scope of the province, the whole country, the region and the world, the score for each prize is calculated as follows: First prize is 5.0 points, Second prize is 4.0 points, Third prize is 3.0 points, Encouragement prize is 2.0 points. 4-year secondary school study results: Each year, Excellent academic performance is 3.0 points, Fair academic performance is 2.0 points. Preliminary score = Excellent and Talented student exam score + 4-year secondary school study results. Students who achieve a preliminary score of 8.0 points or higher will be selected for the second round. With this regulation, students with 4-year secondary school study results of Fair or higher are eligible to take the entrance exam to grade 10 of specialized high schools.

In the entrance exam round, candidates take 3 exams in the non-specialized public high school entrance exam and the specialized subject exam according to their wishes. In which, the entrance exams for non-specialized public high schools are calculated with a coefficient of 1, the specialized subject exam is calculated with a coefficient of 2. The specialized subject exam includes questions that are suitable for the requirements of the subject and the secondary school level goals of the 2018 General Education Program, mainly in the 9th grade secondary school program, ensuring the cognitive levels: Comprehension, application.

Math, Literature, History and Geography are tested in essay format; Foreign Language (for admission to specialized Foreign Language classes) is tested in essay format combined with objective multiple choice tests to assess listening, reading and writing skills. Natural Science is tested in essay format combined with objective multiple choice tests. Students take the Math test instead to be considered for admission to specialized IT classes.

Low quotas and a large number of applicants make the "race" to enter grade 10 of specialized high schools always tense. Illustrative photo.

Add English to the conditional exam

Specialized high schools affiliated with universities such as Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities, Foreign Languages, and Pedagogical Universities this year also adjusted the entrance exam plan for grade 10 by increasing the number of exam subjects and adding English as a conditional exam subject.

In previous years, candidates for the 10th grade entrance exam at the Natural Science Specialized High School only took two general subjects: Literature, Mathematics and a specialized subject, in which Literature was only counted as a conditional score, not an admission score, but this year the school required the addition of English as a conditional subject. In addition, this year, the Natural Science Specialized High School only applies one admission method, no longer directly admitting candidates who won the first prize in the provincial excellent student competition as in previous years.

When registering for a specialized class, candidates must take the corresponding specialized subject exam, except for IT majors who can choose to take the entrance exam in Math or IT. To be considered for admission, candidates must achieve 4 points or higher in each subject, calculated on a 10-point scale. The admission score is the total score of Math (round 1) and the specialized subject multiplied by a factor of two.

This year, the High School for the Gifted in Social Sciences and Humanities also changed the method, increasing the number of entrance exams for grade 10 from 1 to 4. Candidates must take 3 general subjects: Math, Literature, English and specialized subjects: Literature, History, Geography. Of which, Math and English are only counted as conditional points, not as admission points. To be eligible for admission, candidates need to achieve a minimum of 4 points/general subject and 6 points/specialized subject. Candidates can only register for one specialized class. The admission score is the general Literature score and the specialized subject score multiplied by two, maximum 30.

This year, the Foreign Language Specialized High School will also organize the 10th grade entrance exam with 4 subjects including Math, Literature, General English and Specialized Subject. Except for English, which is a multiple choice test, the remaining subjects will have an additional essay section. The admission score is the total score of the subjects on a 10-point scale, the specialized subject has a coefficient of 2 and is rounded to two decimal places. Candidates will be considered for direct admission if they win an international prize; or a provincial prize in competitions organized on a national scale by the Ministry of Education and Training. In addition, secondary school students who win first prize in Foreign Language subjects in the provincial/municipal excellent student selection competition organized by the Department of Education and Training will have 1.5 points added to the total admission score.

According to the admission plan for grade 10 of the National University of Education High School for the Gifted, this year the school added English to the conditional exam subject. Thus, the total number of exams increased from 3 to 4, including general Math, general Literature, general English and specialized subjects. Notably, the school has 3 ways to calculate admission scores, instead of applying a common formula as usual. For the specialized exam group of Math, IT, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, the admission score is the total score of general Math and specialized subjects multiplied by a coefficient of 2. The scores of Literature and English are only conditional scores. Similarly, for the specialized Literature exam group, the admission score is the total score of general Literature and specialized Literature multiplied by a coefficient of 2.

For the English specialized exam group, the admission score is the sum of general English and specialized English multiplied by a coefficient of 2. To be eligible for admission, candidates must achieve a minimum score of 3.5/10 in all subjects.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/giao-duc/nhieu-thay-doi-trong-phuong-an-thi-vao-lop-10-thpt-chuyen-tai-ha-noi-i762735/