Can I do the 2025 high school graduation exam without extra classes?

Thanh Nien reporter asked the question 'Can I do the 2025 high school graduation exam without attending extra classes?' to many students and parents at the gate of the school taking the 2025 high school graduation exam.

What do candidates say?

Before the exam site of Saigon Practical High School (Saigon University), V. Lam, a female student at the Gifted High School (Ho Chi Minh City National University), who took extra English classes, took the IELTS test and achieved 7.5 IELTS, still complained about the high school graduation English test because it was "both long and had a lot of data".

K.Ngan, a student at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, Ho Chi Minh City, was also stunned by the difficulty of the 2025 High School Graduation English exam. It took her 25 minutes - equivalent to half the exam time - just to complete the reading passage with 10 questions on "Greenwashing" - a form of false advertising or misleading by some businesses, pretending that their products really reduce pollution and are very environmentally friendly, but in fact, it is their PR tricks.

Candidates are stressed before the 2025 high school graduation math exam. This year's math exam is considered very difficult.

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

Both candidates spent a lot of time studying and reviewing the test, especially in grade 12, before the high school graduation exam. And both had to admit that the test was very difficult.

Candidate Th. Long, a student at Quang Trung - Nguyen Hue Secondary and High School, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, said that after finishing the 2025 high school graduation exam at noon on June 27, the first thing he thought of was going home and having a good sleep. For a long time, the male candidate who wanted to pass the entrance exam to the general medicine major at Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine had to study very hard, in addition to studying regularly, he also took extra classes. Some days, he went to extra classes until after 9 p.m. before returning home.

"For me, the 2025 high school graduation math and chemistry exams are more difficult than biology. The biology exam was easier during my review process. This year's exam is not purely about calculation, there are questions that students must understand to be able to answer," Th.Long said.

K. Luan, a student in the natural science class at the Gifted High School (Ho Chi Minh City National University), chose to take two elective subjects: chemistry and biology. He said he had tried his best for the high school graduation exam, so he had no regrets. K. Luan spent a lot of time studying at most 3 subjects: math - chemistry - biology. In addition to the time spent in extra classes, he also studied by himself and spent a lot of time practicing the questions.

"If a student doesn't go to extra classes, but only studies by himself, can he do well in all three exams of math, chemistry, and biology, and pass a major, for example, general medicine at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City?", we asked K. Luan. The male candidate said: "In reality, there are students in many provinces, not in Ho Chi Minh City, who don't have the conditions to go to many extra classes and exam preparation centers. They study at home, practice online, and also get very high test scores. Therefore, I think if you have a good sense of self-discipline and high concentration, then you can also do well in the high school graduation exams by studying by yourself."

Candidates burn incense before the statue of famous person Hoang Hoa Tham at Hoang Hoa Tham High School, Binh Thanh District, praying for high results in the 2025 high school graduation math exam.

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

If you go to extra classes and complain, what will happen if you don't study?

Mr. Ng.Tr. (a parent residing in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City) said that his child took extra classes for all 3 years of high school and especially, the extra classes became more frequent in grade 12. Mr. Tr. and his wife took turns taking their child to extra classes in the evening. During the months before the high school graduation exam, the whole family did not dare to eat or drink anything strange, did not dare to go far, afraid that everything would affect their child's studies and exams. In the 2025 high school graduation exam, his child chose 2 elective subjects: English and physics. The physics exam was quite easy. The English and math exams were really difficult.

Mr. Tr.'s son, a student at the Practical High School - Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, has a good academic record, has studied and taken the IELTS test and got a score of 6.5, but Mr. Tr. shared with Thanh Nien Newspaper: "My son complained about the test, from yesterday until now he has been sad at home, not wanting to talk much with people. Seeing him sad, we did not dare to ask too many questions."

Mr. Tr.'s nephew, residing in Tien Giang , is also a hard-working student with good academic performance. He also cried a lot when he had problems with the math and English exams.

"The children have been studying extra and studying for the past few years, but they are still overwhelmed by the difficulty of the exam. If they don't study extra and only study from textbooks, what will they do?", Mr. Tr. sighed.

Parents waiting for their children to take the 2025 high school graduation exam in the pouring afternoon rain

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

Self-study is valuable, but not every student has the ability or courage.

Mr. Dinh Ngoc (character's name has been changed), a teacher working in Ho Chi Minh City, also a parent whose child is in grade 12 at Binh Phu High School who has just completed the 2025 high school graduation exam, shared with Thanh Nien Newspaper reporter: "Many people still think that the current curriculum is easy, children can study and review by themselves, which is enough to enter the high school graduation exam. But for me, someone who always worries and accompanies students, so that they can achieve good results, the preparation journey is not only limited to one school year, but needs to start from the first years of high school. The ability to self-study is valuable, but not all students have the ability and courage to overcome the large amount of knowledge and exam pressure on their own. Therefore, in addition to regular school hours, students need tutoring, extra study with teachers, and need someone to guide and support them."

Mr. Dinh Ngoc witnessed many parents silently working hard to earn more money for their children to study, hoping that their children would have the best preparation before the exam. On exam days, parents would wake up early in the morning with their children, rushing to take their children to the exam site dozens of kilometers away from home, just hoping that their children would be alert, calm, and do well on the test. In the hot sun at noon, in the heavy rain in the afternoon, parents still patiently waited for their children in front of the school gate. No one complained, no one was tired, just hoping that their children would leave the exam room safely and healthy.

Mr. Dinh Ngoc believes that, no matter what the results are, the high school graduation exam has ended. The children's ten years of studying have come to an end, and before each candidate is a new threshold, which can be university, college, intermediate school, vocational training, work... Hopefully, each candidate will make the right, wise decisions, suitable to their abilities and interests. And whether the candidates choose to continue studying or choose vocational training, it is a choice worth respecting. What they need most right now is the companionship, sharing, and empathy from their parents...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khong-di-hoc-them-co-lam-duoc-de-thi-tot-nghiep-thpt-2025-18525062816405731.htm