High School Graduation Exam 2025: Candidates are stressed before the special exam

On the afternoon of June 25, more than 1.1 million candidates nationwide went to testing sites to complete procedures for the 2025 high school graduation exam. With innovations in exam organization, especially the reduction in the number of subjects, many candidates said they felt less pressure during the review process but were still quite stressed before the exam.

This year's 2025 high school graduation exam is quite special as it is organized for two groups of candidates at the same time: students studying under the 2018 GeneralEducation Program and students studying under the 2006 General Education Program. Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Training has built two sets of exam questions, applying two separate regulations.

The exam took place at the peak of the arrangement of administrative units, the 2-level local government apparatus is preparing to come into operation from July 1, 2025. The organization of the exam is carried out with the 3-level local government, but the grading and announcement of exam results are with the 2-level local government.

For candidates studying under the 2018 General Education Program (the majority of candidates), this year they will only take 4 subjects, including 2 compulsory subjects (Math, Literature) and 2 elective subjects. In particular, candidates can register their wishes after knowing their exam scores, helping to reduce the pressure of studying and increase the chances of being admitted to suitable majors.

Candidates see registration number and exam room map.

Candidate Duong Phan Nhu An (Tam Phu High School, Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City) shared: "This year, candidates will only start registering their wishes after they know their scores. My family wants me to pursue a career in education, so I took the competency assessment exam and waited for the results. Although the number of subjects has been reduced, I am still worried, but I will try my best in this exam."

Candidate Nguyen Ngoc Bao Tran (Binh Chieu High School, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) also expressed: "Taking fewer subjects helps us focus on reviewing carefully, reducing pressure. I want to take the exam for medicine or biotechnology."

Tu Anh (left) and her friend during the exam registration procedure on the afternoon of June 25.

Although the pressure of studying has been reduced, many students cannot avoid stress and anxiety before the important exam after 12 years of studying. Tu Anh (Van Lang High School, Hanoi ) shared: "I took Math, Literature and 2 elective subjects, History and Geography. Math is my worst subject, but I still had to get a Math score to apply for university. Because if I choose the C00 block, which is Literature, History and Geography, the chance of getting into universities is not much, while the standard score for the C00 block every year is very high. I hope the Math test will be "just right" so that I have a chance to get into Law".

Ngoc Linh (Van Lang High School, Hanoi) is worried because fewer and fewer schools are recruiting for block C00: "The subject I'm most worried about is Literature, especially the reading comprehension section because the new curriculum is quite difficult. I hope the test is moderate so I can have a good spirit for the following subjects."

Meanwhile, many candidates following the 2006 General Education Program also face a lot of pressure. Thuy Trang (Thu Duc City) said: "I took the exam again because I did not pass my desired exam last year. At first, I was quite confused because the exam had changed, there was a lot of new knowledge, and online learning was the main thing. Therefore, I chose to take the exam according to the old program to take advantage of the knowledge I had learned and review better."

With many new points, on the afternoon of June 25, the examination sites thoroughly disseminated the examination regulations and checked the personal information on the examination notice for candidates. In particular, independent candidates taking the examination under the new program are required to clearly understand the regulations to avoid mistakes. In addition, candidates need to pay attention to the examination time and items that are not allowed in the examination room.

Hanoi continues to be the locality with the largest number of candidates in the country with more than 124,000 students (of which more than 2,500 students took the exam under the 2006 program), an increase of nearly 16,000 compared to last year. The city arranged 233 exam sites with nearly 5,600 exam rooms.

Ho Chi Minh City ranked second with more than 99,500 candidates, an increase of more than 8,800 compared to 2024. Of which, 97,940 candidates took the exam under the 2018 program and 1,638 candidates took the 2006 program. The city arranged 171 exam sites with 4,242 rooms, of which 168 exam sites were for the 2018 program and 3 exam sites with 62 rooms were for the 2006 program.

Ho Chi Minh City also pays special attention to supporting candidates from remote areas, such as ensuring that the Binh Khanh ferry operates 24/7 during the exam, arranging 4 additional trips during peak hours, providing centralized accommodation and means of transporting candidates to Thanh An island commune (Can Gio district).

Tomorrow morning (June 26), candidates will take the Literature exam for 120 minutes; in the afternoon, they will take the Math exam for 90 minutes.

On June 27, candidates taking the 2018 General Education Program will take an optional exam (including 2 subjects from the following subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, Economic and Legal Education, Information Technology, Technology, Foreign Languages); Candidates taking the 2006 General Education Program will take an optional exam in the morning of Natural Sciences/Social Sciences, and in the afternoon of Foreign Languages.

Some images recorded at exam locations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on the afternoon of June 25:

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/ky-thi-tot-nghiep-thpt-2025-thi-sinh-cang-thang-truoc-ky-thi-dac-biet-20250625174016877.htm