2025 High School Graduation Exam Score Distribution: What are the average score, median, and standard deviation?

The average score, median and standard deviation are values appearing in the 2025 high school graduation exam score spectrum, each value has its own statistical meaning to reflect the candidate's ability and the difficulty of the exam.

Candidates see 2025 high school graduation exam scores on Thanh Nien Newspaper this morning

Photo: Dao Ngoc Thach

Before candidates knew their exam scores at 8:00 a.m. this morning, July 16, the Ministry of Education and Training on July 15 announced the score distribution of 12 subjects for the 2025 high school graduation exam - an unprecedented move. For each score distribution, in addition to reflecting the number of candidates in each 0.25 point range, the Ministry of Education and Training also provided related values such as the average score, median, and standard deviation. Many readers wonder, what do these statistical values mean?

To answer this question, Master Le Khanh Hoang, lecturer at the University of Economics and Finance, Ho Chi Minh City, cited the English score distribution of the 2025 high school graduation exam to explain visually.

First, the mean score of the score spectrum is 5.38, which means that the average score of 351,848 candidates who chose to take the English test is 5.38. This is the score that reflects the general level of candidates taking the test. Meanwhile, the middle score is called the median and in this case has the value of 5.25, meaning that half of the candidates scored above 5.25 and the other half scored below 5.25.

"Usually, people calculate the median to reduce the influence of outliers (outliers, which can be understood as candidates with unusual or exceptional achievements, not suitable for statistics - PV). Looking at the median, we can imagine what a typical candidate looks like," Mr. Hoang shared.

Meanwhile, the standard deviation indicates the deviation of the majority of candidates from the average score. In the case of the English score distribution, the standard deviation is 1.45, meaning that most candidates are in the range of 3.93 to 6.83. "If the standard deviation is small, it can be understood that the majority of candidates have similar abilities, but when the standard deviation is large, the differences in abilities are greater," Master Hoang analyzed.

Master Bui Van Cong, a teacher of competency assessment tests in Ho Chi Minh City, added that the standard deviation can also indicate the difficulty level of the questions, thereby showing whether students are divided into separate groups. The lower the standard deviation, the more it reflects that students are concentrated in a certain group and are blocked in the following questions, helping universities classify students for admission, Mr. Cong said.

"The lower the median, the more difficult the test is," Master Cong added.

This year, after receiving their high school graduation exam scores, candidates can apply for a review from July 16-25. From July 22, candidates will receive their high school graduation exam results certificate and other relevant certificates for university admission. From July 16 to 5 p.m. on July 28, candidates can register and adjust their wishes an unlimited number of times and pay the online fee from July 29 to 5 p.m. on August 5.

Before 5:00 p.m. on August 22, training institutions will notify candidates who have passed the first round of admission and before 5:00 p.m. on August 30, candidates will confirm their admission online for the first round on the Ministry of Education and Training's system.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/pho-diem-thi-tot-nghiep-thpt-2025-diem-trung-binh-trung-vi-do-lech-chuan-la-gi-185250716085954989.htm