'Experts' share secrets to high test scores

Candidates taking the 2023 high school graduation exam - Photo: DUYEN PHAN

The advice and sharing from seniors will help the special candidates - the last batch of candidates taking the exam under the 2006 general education program.

Psychology is also something that 2006 candidates need to pay attention to. They must concentrate on their exam, not pay attention to things around them. Before the exam, they should not review their exam papers and can walk around the exam area and wash their face to wake up and relax.

PHAM TUAN KHANG

Literature: avoid rambling and long-windedness

In the final stage, candidates should focus on reviewing the author, work and art, because these are core knowledge. Moreover, understanding the art of the poem/literature helps candidates develop the content better.

It is important to allocate time to do the test reasonably. Therefore, candidates should group poems and sentences in the same thesis to analyze and stick to the discussion topic, avoid rambling, long-winded and put too many literary comments into the writing.

When entering the exam, candidates should bring into the exam room familiar, light, and comfortable pens to help increase writing speed.

(Do Hoang Nam - student majoring in international relations, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City National University, achieved 9.5 and 9.75 points in literature in two consecutive high school graduation exams in 2021 and 2022)

Math: take advantage of this opportunity to review basic formulas

In the last days, I usually spend time practicing real exam questions from previous years and mock exams from schools and departments to get familiar with the actual structure.

Besides, I also take the time to review basic formulas and quick formulas to apply in some problems. I do not practice difficult questions or study specialized topics these days but spend time resting, to let my mind be comfortable and relaxed.

When entering the exam room, I tried to finish the first 40 questions in 20 minutes and spent 10 minutes checking before doing the last 10 questions, meaning the total time to get 8 points was 30 minutes.

The last questions are often difficult and require a lot of basic thinking. Therefore, I often read the questions many times and exploit the given data, gradually the problems will return to familiar and solvable forms.

(Nguyen Hong Nhung - runner-up of block A00 nationwide in 2023, achieved a score of 9.8 in math, valedictorian of Foreign Trade University)

English subject: do the test "standard"

I make it a habit to solve 1-2 tests in the "sprint" days, especially the "standard" mock tests from reputable departments, schools or teachers, both this year and previous years.

The remaining time I focused on reviewing Idioms in the Oxford Word Skills book, Intermediate and Advanced levels, and reviewing polysemous words - questions that I think are given to trick candidates, to limit the score to 10.

I think the English exam for high school graduation is not too long, complicated or requires many skills like international certification exams such as IELTS, TOEIC. Therefore, if you want a high score, you need to have really solid academic knowledge.

(Nguyen Tuan Dinh - English language student, Vietnam Aviation Academy, achieved 10 points in English in the 2022 high school graduation exam)

Social science exam: avoid "panic" if you encounter strange questions

The secret to getting high scores in social subjects is to review the textbooks carefully, read a lot and master the knowledge. In addition, in the days before the exam, I looked for more problems in the northern provinces to solve. In the days before the exam, except for the time to eat and sleep, I solved the problems. I tried to keep my mind stable, not to be self-conscious or overconfident.

(Le Huu Dang - valedictorian of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City National University in 2023, 10 points in history, 9.75 points in geography)

* For history, geography, and civics, I prepared quite well at home, read the textbooks carefully, and watched the teachers solve some exam questions. For history, I paid attention to the timeline and the campaigns. The most confusing part was the content about the political platform and political theses.

The last questions in civics are often quite long, so candidates can read the questions first, so that when reading the content of the test, they can grasp the main points more easily.

When entering the exam room and encountering strange questions, the first thing you must do is calmly read the questions, don't panic, use related knowledge to analyze and then slowly find the problem.

(Truong Nhat Tan - 2nd year student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, achieved 9.5 points in history and 9 points in civic education, 2022 high school graduation exam)

Natural science exam: do it quickly, do it firmly

About 2 days before the exam, I just reviewed the theory and exercises I had done, went to bed early to prepare my health well for the exam.

When taking the test, I usually prioritize reading the whole question, underlining the conditions, information given and some special ideas provided by the question to avoid missing any ideas. Fill in the multiple choice questions as I go.

While doing the recognition and comprehension questions, if you are unsure about any question, skip it and move on to the next question. When you get to the group of high-level application questions, go back and do the questions you are unsure about, then solve the difficult questions one by one.

In particular, easy questions must be answered quickly and accurately to have enough time to handle more difficult questions. Not being too careful with easy questions, checking over and over again will cause you to waste unnecessary time.

For physics, when encountering a difficult question, you need to stay calm, write it down, draw pictures if necessary, and do things like mechanics, electricity, oscillation, light waves, etc. For chemistry, you need to summarize the question with highly applied organic and inorganic questions to see how substances interact with each other, making it easier to handle.

(Pham Tuan Khang - valedictorian of the University of Information Technology, Ho Chi Minh City National University in 2023)

* I think first of all, it is necessary to have an effective time management method, so when doing the basic part, I will read and finish as quickly as possible to have time to solve the more difficult questions.

At the same time, optimize your computer typing speed, typing tips (if any) to be able to process faster. Second, you must read the questions carefully and do the exercises carefully.

For example, with the physics test, when I finish the basic part, I will fill in the multiple choice paper so I don't have to worry at the end of the time. In the last 15 minutes, I will review the basic questions, mainly reading the questions carefully because I think simple calculations will usually lead to fewer mistakes.

When doing the advanced application part, I will choose to do it from easy to difficult to create a comfortable and confident mindset. Once the results are out, I will fill in the test sheet immediately. This part will mainly depend on each person's internal strength.

(Vu Hoang Luong Huy, national valedictorian of block A01 in the 2023 high school graduation exam)

Balance your mind before the exam day

To balance my anxiety during exam season, I often keep a diary, clearly write down my fears and analyze the reasons for those fears to encourage myself.

On the day of the exam, I woke up early and prepared myself, taking some time to meditate to calm myself down.

In the exam room, I limited talking to others so that my mind would not be shaken by the fear of outsiders.

(Phan Minh Quan - student of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City National University, valedictorian of block C in 2024)

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cao-thu-chia-se-bi-quyet-thi-diem-cao-20240626080107568.htm