Students are switching from IELTS and TOEIC to taking the VSTEP exam.

Thao Quan is studying for the VSTEP exam - Photo: NGOC LAN

VSTEP (Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency) is a standardized test to assess English proficiency, issued by the Ministry of Education and Training according to the six-level foreign language proficiency framework, equivalent to levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, and is used in Vietnam.

Currently, the VSTEP certificate is attracting a lot of attention from students as many universities use it in their entrance exams and graduation assessments.

"Reviewing is easy and economical."

Quách Lâm Thảo Quân, a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), is in the final stages of preparing for the VSTEP certification exam.

Instead of choosing IELTS, TOEFL, or TOEIC, Thao Quan believes that studying for the VSTEP exam is better because the amount of knowledge and difficulty is lighter, and since she initially planned that she wouldn't need to be extremely proficient in English after graduation, just enough to meet the graduation and communication standards would be sufficient.

"Many of my friends are interested in VSTEP because we find it easier than other certifications. The exam structure is quite similar to the high school graduation exam. However, achieving B2 or higher requires effort. I struggled a lot with reading because my vocabulary is quite limited," Thao Quan said.

Thao Quan recounted that her close friends, finding the TOEIC exam easier and more similar to the types of questions they had learned in high school, switched from preparing for the TOEIC to the VSTEP exam. Besides self-study, she is also preparing for the VSTEP exam at an English center, with a course covering all four skills and costing around 3 million VND. According to the schedule, she will take the exam and receive her certificate this June.

As for Quynh Chau, a student at the University of Finance - Marketing in Ho Chi Minh City, she accidentally learned about VSTEP through friends on social media. After researching, Chau chose VSTEP even though most people around her still chose TOEIC or IELTS.

You commented: "I find the exam format quite similar to the knowledge I reviewed for the university entrance exam, especially the reading section. It's not as academic as IELTS, so I found VSTEP easier to handle. The writing section is also quite common and familiar to study. The question types are only multiple-choice ABCD questions; there are no fill-in-the-blank or question-answering questions."

Exam preparation centers are flourishing.

Where there are people studying for the exam, there are certainly places offering test preparation courses. It's not difficult to find VSTEP test preparation centers in Ho Chi Minh City and other major cities like Hanoi , Da Nang, and Can Tho, ranging from language centers affiliated with universities and private tutors to individual teachers. Online VSTEP courses are also very popular on Facebook.

Each course typically lasts about 1-6 months, depending on the level the student wants to reach. Many courses advertise guaranteed results, promising to help students achieve B1 level of VSTEP in just one month, while some courses promise to help learners reach B2 level in only 15 sessions.

Tuition fees commonly range from 1.5 to 3.5 million VND, depending on the duration of each course. Some online centers advertise prices per person as low as... 6,000 VND/day.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Van, currently teaching VSTEP at an English center in District 3 (Ho Chi Minh City), said he teaches three VSTEP classes per week, with about 15 students per class. Most are university students, with only one or two high school students. Compared to last year, the number of students Mr. Van teaches has tripled.

"Most students who choose to study VSTEP have an intermediate to above-average level of English proficiency. In my personal opinion, although it also tests four skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—the VSTEP exam is more manageable for them compared to TOEIC. Students only need about 3-4 sessions to grasp the different question types. However, if they want to achieve high scores, they also need to expand their vocabulary," Mr. Van said.

Mr. Phung Quang Huy, an English teacher at the High School of Educational Sciences (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), shared that some students choose to study for the IELTS exam and then take the VSTEP certification exam. According to him, the content of the standardized English exams is usually not significantly different, as the ultimate goal is to test the learner's English proficiency.

Therefore, it's not necessary to take a VSTEP exam preparation course just to take the VSTEP test. You can study any English program, or even self-study, and still be able to participate in the exam. "However, I've observed that students preparing for the IELTS exam often find the VSTEP test very easy," Mr. Huy said.

Note the utility value.

Dr. Pham Tan Ha, Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), stated that certificates based on the six-level foreign language proficiency framework are only recognized in Vietnam and do not yet have international value, making it very difficult for those wishing to study abroad to use them.

Mr. Ha further shared that when learning a foreign language, each student needs to define specific goals at specific times, consider the learning environment, and put in the effort themselves in order to achieve their desires.

It's both "cheap" and has no time limit for use.

Van Toi, a student at the University of Science (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), is diligently studying English to take the VSTEP exam. Toi said he chose VSTEP because he found the exam fee quite affordable, around 1.3 million VND.

Even including tuition fees at the center, the total "damage" is still less than 4.5 million VND. Meanwhile, the IELTS registration fee alone is over 4.6 million VND, plus the cost of preparation courses for at least 3-6 months. Not to mention, results are available in just 5-7 days, and the VSTEP certificate has no validity period.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tu-ielts-toeic-sinh-vien-re-sang-thi-vstep-20240525083525688.htm