N PARADOX C00
According to data released by the Ministry of Education and Training, in addition to the two compulsory subjects (math and literature), history and geography are the subjects chosen by the most candidates for the 2025 high school graduation exam. Specifically, history has 499,357 candidates registered; geography has 494,081 candidates. Next is English (358,870 candidates), physics (354,298). After physics comes economic and legal education (247,248), then chemistry (246,700).
The trend of social sciences (SSC) being chosen more than natural sciences (NSC) has also been a reality for many years. In 2024, more than 670,000 out of about 1 million students registering for the 2024 high school graduation exam chose the SSC exam (history, geography, civiceducation ), accounting for 63%, an unprecedented high in 8 years (since 2017). Only 37% of the remaining students chose the SSC exam (physics, chemistry, biology).
However, in reality, very few universities consider the C00 combination (literature, history, geography). Universities training in economics and business have traditionally recruited students from group A, and later expanded to group D with combination D01. Later, combination D01 became the main admission combination for these majors when the source of students from group A was increasingly narrowed. The remaining social sciences and humanities majors, which have few schools, do not give special privileges to combination C00, because universities training in this major also use other admission combinations.
According to statistics from an admissions forum, in 2024, 187 universities nationwide will use the A00 combination to enroll students for about 1,200 majors; 175 schools will use the D01 combination to enroll students for about 1,270 majors. Meanwhile, only 107 schools will use the C00 combination to enroll students for 259 majors.
" HEAD AGAIN" WHEN CONSIDERING COMBINATION C00
Among the social sciences and humanities majors that still use the C00 combination for admission, the groups of law, journalism - communications, international studies... are often the dream majors of group C PhDs. That is also a reason why public opinion is stirred up when the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi does not use the C00 combination to admit students for a series of "hot" majors (but now this school has added the C00 combination for admission again).
Anticipating these reactions, Hanoi Law University has never thought of removing the C00 combination, even though this is a combination that gives the school a "headache" every admission season. Dr. Nguyen Trieu Duong, Head of Training Department, Hanoi Law University, shared: "C00 is one of the two traditional combinations (the other combination is A00) that Hanoi Law University has used for admission since the school's early days, when there was only the law major (later, economic law was added). Later, the school added combinations with foreign languages (from D01 to D06). But when opening more majors such as international trade law and English, the school did not use C00 for these new majors, only A00 and D01."
Difference in benchmark scores of majors according to subject groups of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi)
Graphics: Quy Hien
According to Dr. Nguyen Trieu Duong, when deciding to keep the same combinations as every year, the school determined that it would face the problem of handling the benchmark scores in the context that the Ministry of Education and Training does not allow the quota to be divided for each combination. Every year, because the quota is divided for the combinations, when considering the benchmark scores, the school just takes them from top to bottom. Every year, the C00 combination has the highest benchmark score in the same industry (even though this is the combination that the school prioritizes the quota for).
It is expected that the school will base on the learning results of student groups according to the admission combination to quantitatively evaluate the quality of each recruitment source, thereby setting appropriate weights for each combination when converting equivalent benchmark scores.
Dr. Nguyen Trieu Duong also said that the initial comparison results showed that the group of students in group A (A00, A01), group C00, group D (D01 to D06) were present at all levels from excellent to average. However, among the students with average and good academic results, the group of students admitted with group C00 was the majority. The number of students with good and excellent results belonged to group D01, followed by A01, then A00 (the number of students admitted to the school with group A00 was very small), and finally C00.
However, it is difficult to convert the ratio (because it will not be accurate), as well as difficult to make an accurate assessment when the number of students admitted to group A00 is very small compared to group C00. This will be a challenge for Hanoi Law University in converting the equivalent benchmark scores later because the data is not large enough to create enough reliability for conversion.
RISK OF GETTING "STUCK"
According to Associate Professor Truong Dai Luong, Hanoi University of Culture, in previous years, when determining the admission score, the school often prioritized other combinations (including combination D01) by reducing 1 point compared to combination C00. However, the admission results showed that most of the candidates admitted to the school were using combination C00, accounting for about 60 - 70%. This year, the school still uses combination C00 for admission as in previous years, but how to balance the admission results of the candidates of the combinations will be a difficult problem.
According to Thanh Nien 's research, the actual benchmark between the C00 combination and the remaining combinations in the same major at some other schools is the same as above. Statistics on the benchmark scores of the law major (which in previous years used C00 for admission) of the University of Law - Vietnam National University, Hanoi in the period of 2020 - 2024 show that the benchmark score of the C00 combination is always much higher than the remaining combinations. In 2020, the C00 combination was 27.5; A00 and D01 were 24.3 and 24.4. In 2021, the difference was a little closer. In 2022, C00 was 28.25; A00 was 24.9. In 2023, C00 was 27.5; A00 was 24.35. In 2024, C00 was 28.36; A01 was 24.5.
As we reported in the previous article, a representative of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi said that in previous years, the admission score for the same major of the school's C00 group was 3 - 3.5 points higher than other groups (on a scale of 30). According to our research, in reality, the gap between the C00 group and the remaining groups (in the same major) is even greater.
Typically, in 2022, a series of majors of the school had the benchmark score of the C00 combination at a level close to "touching the ceiling", 29.95/30 points. Meanwhile, the benchmark scores of other combinations were only at the top 2 (24 - 26 points) compared to the national benchmark score level that year. In the same major, the benchmark scores differed by 4 - 5 points. Typically, there was the management science major, C00 was 29 points, A01 was 25.25 points, D04 (literature, math, Chinese) was 24 points, the difference between the highest and lowest combinations was 5 points. Or Korean studies, C00 was 29.95; D02 (math, literature, Korean) was 25.55 points (difference of 4.4 points).
Benchmark scores according to subject combinations of economic law, Hanoi Law University from 2020-2024
Graphics: Quy Hien
According to many admission officers, the benchmark score is too high, which is a potential unfairness in an admission combination (for the same major). Because no one can confirm that a candidate with 9.5 points is better than a student with 9 points; between 9.5 and 9.4 points is even more impossible. Therefore, after the benchmark score of 28 points/3 subjects is a race of luck. At this benchmark score, with other combinations (A00, A01, D01, B00), very few majors and very few schools have it. But with the C00 combination, for many schools, it is a moderate benchmark.
For example, in 2022, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has 31 majors, 9 of which have a C00 benchmark score of 29 points or higher. In 2024, the school has 26 majors with a C00 combination, only the religious studies major has a C00 score below 27 points, the rest are all above 27 to above 29 points (there are 3 majors above 29 points, including: public relations 29.1 points; Korean studies 29.05; journalism 29.03).
Therefore, talking about the 2025 admission season for the Social Sciences and Humanities sector, an admissions officer at a university in Hanoi concluded in a brief statement: "Let's just say this year, as Thanh Nien Newspaper said, there is a risk of... getting stuck."
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nganh-khoa-hoc-xa-hoi-mac-ket-trong-to-hop-c00-diem-nhieu-nam-cao-bat-thuong-185250610231346451.htm
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