From the loophole of the "hundred billion" competency assessment exam: Should we return to the common exam?

(Dan Tri) - Due to the loopholes in the "hundred billion" capacity assessment exam that are causing public concern about fairness, transparency, waste, and pressure, many opinions have expressed the desire to unify the university entrance exam.

The competency assessment exam organized by Ho Chi Minh City National University over the past 8 years, with a scale of nearly 800,000 candidates and a total exam fee estimated at more than 200 billion VND, is facing concerns about organization, fairness and transparency after a series of recent incidents.

Since this incident, public opinion has continued to raise debates about the necessity of organizing too many separate exams for university admission, with many opinions expressing the desire to move towards a unified entrance exam.

The "race" to college early and the financial and psychological burdens of parents and students

Faced with the "hundred flowers blooming" situation of organizing separate exams and too many forms of university admission, many families are facing a tight exam review schedule and no small amount of financial pressure so that their children can compete in the race to get into university.

Ms. Phuong Thuy*, a parent of a 12th grade student at Gia Dinh High School, Ho Chi Minh City, shared that in addition to studying at school, her child is struggling with a tight schedule of direct extra classes and online learning in the hope of getting good results to be admitted to the desired university.

“My child plans to apply to the National University of Ho Chi Minh City. Priority is given to candidates taking the aptitude test, so they have to practice and take the test to have a high chance of being admitted,” Ms. Thuy confided.

This leaves almost no time for play or other entertainment needs for the child. Not only does Thuy feel pressured by her child, every day she and her husband also have to worry about paying for extra classes.

Many students and parents feel tired because there are too many entrance exams (Illustration: Hai Long).

Ms. Thuy's family, who are freelance workers, transport construction waste materials from demolition projects, so sometimes they have work, sometimes they don't.

“Seeing that my child is eager to learn and determined to get into the school he wants, we have to try our best to ensure that he has the opportunity to study and take exams like his friends. If he only takes the high school graduation exam and uses that score to apply for university, his chances will decrease a lot. I just wish that the university entrance exam would not be so difficult, so that he only has to take one type of exam,” Ms. Thuy confided.

Knowing that they have to review for many types of exams and practice for them early has become a burden for many students. Minh Thanh*, a student at Chu Van An High School (Bien Hoa, Dong Nai ), although he has just passed the 10th grade entrance exam, has already planned to review for the competency assessment exam right now to aim for the goal of entering the University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City National University.

"The school's admission score calculation prioritizes the ability assessment exam. My seniors advised me that if I want to have a high admission rate, I have to take the ability assessment exam," Thanh explained.

Candidates taking the 2025 competency assessment exam (Photo: Bach Khoa).

A similar situation is also happening in Hanoi . Ms. Nguyen Quynh Mai (Nam Tu Liem, Hanoi) has a child born in 2008. Two years ago, when her child had just finished the 10th grade entrance exam in 2023, Ms. Mai put her child in another race - the 2026 university entrance exam.

“Not only me, many parents I know do not dare to let their children rest after the transfer exam but immediately start preparing for the university entrance exam 3 years later. With the constantly changing admission policy and chaotic admission methods, no one knows which method will have the advantage next year, we are forced to equip our children with as many conditions as possible,” Ms. Mai shared.

To achieve their goal, the mother and daughter built a dense plan for 3 years. Accordingly, Mai's child studied for IELTS and SAT from the beginning of grade 10. Mai set a goal for her child to complete these 2 certificates before the second semester of grade 11.

From the second semester of grade 11, Ms. Mai's child switched to reviewing for the Thinking Assessment (TSA) exam of Hanoi University of Science and Technology. Grade 12 is a special priority time for the high school graduation exam.

However, she is still not confident about this journey because the admission regulations of the schools change constantly, making the family always feel uneasy.

Ms. Mai admitted that her child entering the university race from grade 10 made the pressure of studying and taking exams heavier. At the same time, having to prepare many conditions and many different types of certificates increased the cost of studying.

The cost of my child's IELTS, SAT, and TSA exams is currently close to 100 million VND. To give their child an advantage in admission, each family has to trade off a lot of money and time. Obviously, in this race, the disadvantage belongs to students who do not have economic conditions.

Ms. Nguyen Quynh Mai (Nam Tu Liem, Hanoi)

Ms. Mai expressed her opinion that as a parent, even though she is able to provide her children with different conditions, she still wants the university entrance exam to return to the way it was before, with only one admission method.

“All students, rich or poor, rural or urban, have equal rights before the university gate,” Ms. Mai stated her opinion.

In the comments section of the article series "The loopholes of the "hundred billion" competency assessment exam, many readers also suggested reconsidering the plan to organize a common exam.

In 2025, a series of higher education institutions will continue to organize their own entrance exams such as: Hanoi National University, Ho Chi Minh City National University, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi University of Education, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, V-SAT exam, separate exams for universities of the police and military sectors, etc.

The number of schools using separate admission methods is also up to hundreds of schools. Therefore, many candidates who want to increase their chances of admission must choose additional separate admission methods in addition to considering high school graduation exam scores.

Abuse of competency assessment, misdirected educational goals

Master Huynh Thanh Phu, Principal of Bui Thi Xuan High School (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) admitted that through general observation, many parents and students expressed concern about the reality of too many competency assessment exams being held densely during the school year.

From national university entrance exams to individual school exams, students are forced to compete to study and participate in consecutive exams, causing significant consequences for finances, psychology and education quality.

Mr. Phu pointed out three significant consequences of having too many exams.

In terms of costs, each exam costs hundreds of thousands to millions of dong in fees, not to mention travel, accommodation and review expenses. This places a heavy burden on families with average incomes and below, especially in remote areas... who have to shoulder the burden so that their children have the opportunity to take the exam. Many students miss out on opportunities due to economic reasons, this is an inequality that needs to be corrected soon.

Psychologically, the pressure from consecutive exams can easily leave students exhausted, tired, and even confused. The fact that some exams are poorly organized and have lax procedures can also damage candidates’ confidence and motivation to study. When fairness is not guaranteed, candidates feel disrespected. However, in order to pass the exam, many students have no other choice.

In education, too many separate exam organizers reflect a lack of unity in management thinking.

Mr. Phu emphasized that the GPL is a tool, not a destination. When the tool is abused, the educational goal will be deviated.

Competency assessment is a tool, not a destination. When the tool is abused, the educational goal will be deviated. I think that a national competency assessment exam, organized periodically, seriously, with quality and widely considered would be the optimal solution.

MSc. Huynh Thanh Phu, Principal of Bui Thi Xuan High School, HCMC

From there, the Principal proposed to organize only one common exam to evaluate students' abilities to create efficiency, fairness, savings and reduce pressure.

“I think that a national, regular, serious, high-quality and widely accepted high school graduation exam would be the optimal solution.

This ensures fairness, saves resources for society, and helps students focus on preparing best. It is time to unify assessment standards to move towards a practical, scientific and humanistic education," emphasized Master Huynh Thanh Phu.

From the practice of general education management, Principal of Bui Thi Xuan High School suggested that it is time for the Ministry of Education and Training and universities to comprehensively review the current admission system to better suit the open, flexible and globalized trends of modern education.

Mr. Phu proposed a plan to allow many forms of university admission to coexist, without necessarily putting pressure on exams. He proposed applying the model of registration - credit study - graduation, meaning that after graduating from high school, students can register for university programs. When students study enough and meet the credit standards, they will be awarded a degree. Instead of limiting the quality of input, he said that it is necessary to strengthen control of the quality of output.

Many opinions expressed the hope that the education sector would have a plan to reduce learning pressure for students (Illustration: Hai Long).

According to him, to ensure quality, it is necessary to limit the maximum time frame for completion and have periodic assessment points. This form is suitable for economic, social, and applied engineering groups, etc. and opens up opportunities for lifelong learning, diversifying inputs, and reducing the burden of exams.

For specific fields such as medicine and education, which are directly related to health, personality and human development, separate entrance exams with strict entrance standards are required. Successful students need to be granted 100% scholarships to attract talented people and inspire the motivation to serve the community.

Regarding the mechanism, the Ministry of Education and Training needs to soon transfer all enrollment rights to universities with sufficient autonomy. The Ministry only plays a general coordination role, building output standards and quality control.

"Ensuring the above conditions, the system will both reduce exam pressure and ensure input quality, in a harmonious, practical and sustainable way," said Mr. Huynh Thanh Phu.

(*) Character names have been changed

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/tu-lo-hong-ky-thi-danh-gia-nang-luc-tram-ty-co-nen-quay-lai-thi-chung-20250620065509770.htm