10th grade exam in HCMC: Next school year, some schools will consider transcripts

On the afternoon of July 16, Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the entrance exam for grade 10 in the 2026-2027 school year is expected to combine two forms of admission: selection and exam.

Accordingly, Ho Chi Minh City plans to recruit students in some special areas. In previous years, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City applied this method to students in Thanh An island commune (former Can Gio district).

Candidates taking the 10th grade entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: CP

For the remaining public high schools, the Department of Education and Training will organize entrance exams, with 3 subjects: Literature, Math and Foreign Language. This plan is basically similar to the entrance exam for grade 10 this year and will be submitted to the Director of the Department of Education and Training.

According to the deputy director of the Department of Education and Training, keeping the three subjects in the entrance exam stable is to create convenience for parents, students and schools after Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau merged into Ho Chi Minh City.

Previously, at a professional meeting, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City , requested units under the Department to soon consult on the 10th grade entrance exam plan for the 2026-2027 school year to help students and teachers have orientation in teaching and learning.

At the same time, Mr. Hieu also requested the Department Office to take the lead in developing a plan to determine the coordinates of all educational facilities in the area to prepare for enrollment for the first grade classes.

2025 is the first year that Ho Chi Minh City and provinces and cities across the country will conduct 10th grade enrollment according to Circular 30/2024 of the Ministry of Education and Training . There are 3 methods of 10th grade high school enrollment: entrance exam, selection, or a combination of entrance exam and selection. The selection of the enrollment method is under the authority of the locality.

As for the entrance exam, the exam includes Math, Literature and a third subject (or a combined exam). This subject is selected by the Department of Education and Training from subjects that are evaluated by scores, including: Foreign Language 1, Civic Education, Natural Sciences, History and Geography, Technology, and Information Technology.

However, provinces and cities cannot choose a subject for more than three consecutive years. The choice of admission method is under the authority of the locality.

For the entrance exam method to grade 10 of high school, localities will conduct 3 exams, specifically Math, Literature and a third exam or subject chosen by the Department of Education and Training.

The third exam subject is selected from among the subjects assessed by scores in the general education program at the secondary level, ensuring that the same third exam subject is not selected for more than 3 consecutive years.

The third exam is a combined exam of a number of subjects selected from among the subjects assessed by scores in the general education program at the secondary school level.