Parents are worried about the information about the entrance exam for grade 6.

According to the general regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, students who complete primary school will not have to take the entrance exam to grade 6 (junior high school) but will be considered for admission based on criteria such as accommodation, academic transcripts, etc.

In previous years in Ho Chi Minh City, only Tran Dai Nghia School organized an aptitude test because the number of applications was too large compared to the admission quota.

However, according to information from some secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City, in 2024, many schools will organize competency assessment exams for a much higher number of expected applications than the target. This information makes many parents worried and restless because it may affect their children's expected school.

Mr. Nguyen Huy Dung, a resident of Thu Duc City, a parent whose child is about to enter grade 6, said that instead of selecting candidates, some key schools will conduct entrance exams. “In previous years, students only had to submit their application, grade 5 transcripts, and some foreign language certificates, awards, etc. to be considered for admission to the school, but this year they may have to take an aptitude test. I don’t know what the aptitude test will be like, or what knowledge will be tested to guide my child’s preparation,” said Mr. Dung.

According to our research, many schools in the central area have high population density, a large number of applications (usually schools with good training quality) while the school's quota is limited. For example, Tran Dai Nghia School (District 1) has a quota of more than 500 6th grade students while the number of applications is nearly 5,000, forcing the school to organize capacity assessment exams in previous years to screen applications. This is also the only school that regularly organizes 6th grade selection exams for many years.

This exam of Tran Dai Nghia school usually consists of 2 parts (100 points) with a multiple choice part of 20 questions in English (40 points) and an essay part (60 points) including general information about English, math, science, writing... Based on this exam score and the application, the school will decide which student is admitted.

It is known that in 2024, not only Tran Dai Nghia School but many other schools may have to organize such exams to screen candidates. Although the official plan has not been announced by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, besides some parents who are worried, many people agree and support it.

Accordingly, parents believe that if the demand is too high, it is necessary to conduct an exam to select the best candidates to ensure the quality of input because the secondary criteria for admission are often quite vague and difficult to compare. In particular, the policy of not grading and not pressuring primary school students in recent years has made the transcripts not reflect the true and accurate quality of their learning compared to an exam to assess their ability in many general knowledge areas.

It can be said that while waiting for the official recruitment plan of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City (expected in March), parents continue to urge their children to study well and prepare the necessary knowledge to be able to achieve their academic aspirations.