Candidates have a "headache" choosing their wishes because they are sure their math and English scores will be low.

(Dan Tri) - With the high school graduation exam being assessed as difficult to achieve high scores, candidates applying for university admission using the D01 (math, literature, English) and A01 (math, physics, English) combinations... are struggling to find a solution.

Candidates taking the 2025 high school graduation exam (Photo: Manh Quan).

Worried about "missing target" subjects

Tran Huu Dang, a 12th grade student at Con Cuong High School ( Nghe An ), said that this year's math and English exams were both difficult compared to the knowledge he had reviewed. Dang was not good at math, and did not get high scores in the practice tests, but the high school graduation exam was even more difficult than he imagined.

Before taking the exam, the young man from the mountainous district of Nghe An was very confident about English because this was his “favorite subject”, usually scoring 8-9 points when doing the test. However, when doing the test this year, he had to “circle” many questions and had difficulty reading and understanding.

In addition to the difficulty of the test, Dang reflected that the words in the test were too small, while the test was too long, causing candidates to have eye strain and easily lose information.

Dang's initial goal was to get 8+ points in literature and math, and 9+ in English. But after the exam, he only hoped to get around 7 points in the 3 subjects and he estimated the total score to be around 20 points.

He used D01 to apply to the Academy of Journalism and Communication, his first choice. With the expected score, Dang was under a lot of pressure because he didn't know if the school would lower the admission score or not.

Many of Dang’s friends are in the same situation. Even students who got 7-8 on the IELTS test or provincial math students also had difficulty with this year’s test.

"Social networking sites also reported on the general situation of students after the exam, so I felt less worried, no longer had to blame myself, and still had hope to enter university," Dang shared.

Difficult exam, male student burst into tears when meeting relatives after the 2025 high school graduation math exam (Photo: Hai Long).

Also choosing the D01 combination as the main topic, Tran Ta Khanh Ngoc, a student at Le Thanh Tong High School for the Gifted ( Da Nang ), commented that the math and English exams had a high level of differentiation and were more difficult than previous years. This requires candidates to have a solid grasp of knowledge and the ability to think and handle questions quickly.

Ngoc set a target of 27 points for all three subjects, but after the exam, she estimated a 3-point decrease. Students of specialized schools plan to use D01 to apply for marketing majors at universities: Ho Chi Minh City Economics , Economics - Law, Banking Ho Chi Minh City, Finance - Marketing...

"I hope the score distribution will decrease," Ngoc shared.

Also a student at Le Thanh Tong High School, Le Ngoc Toan chose A01 (math, physics, English). Even though physics was his "rescue," Toan was still worried about the math and English exams.

According to the male student, the math exam requires students to concentrate and do their work carefully. In particular, the practical math problems are an innovation in this year's exam. In addition, the math exam has 2 probabilities and counting actual numbers to "block" scores above 9, so it takes a lot of time.

Regarding English, Toan said that this was the most difficult test compared to the ones he had ever done. The new format and strange vocabulary surprised him, much more difficult than the sample test given by the Ministry.

The male student said that with two difficult subjects, math and English, this will be a big disadvantage for those applying for block A01 compared to many other combinations because they account for 2/3 of the total score, while the remaining subjects are considered quite easy.

“I plan to use my high school exam score to apply to Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics. I am under a lot of pressure because the school’s benchmark score last year was quite high, around 26-27 points, and I am not sure about my own score,” Ngoc Toan said.

The expected admission combinations that will fluctuate a lot due to difficult math and English exams include:

A01: Math, Physics, English

D01: Literature, Math, English

D07: Math, Chemistry, English

D08: Math, Biology, English

D09: Math, history, English

D10: Math, Geography, English

B08: Math, Biology, English

Expected adjustment of floor score, reduction of benchmark score

In the context of forecasted decrease in math, literature, and English scores, a representative of Foreign Trade University said that they may change the minimum entrance threshold of 24 points after the official high school graduation exam score distribution is available.

In the admission information announced in early May, this school stipulated the entry threshold for the admission method based on academic records. Accordingly, candidates must have a total high school graduation exam score of at least 1 of the admission subject groups of at least 24 points. This score does not include priority and incentive points.

Many candidates taking the D00 and A01 exams are worried about losing their chance to be admitted to the Foreign Trade University because they "slipped" below the 24-point mark in the recent high school graduation exam.

Since this year is the first year of graduation exams under the new general education program, the school predicts that there may be fluctuations in the score distribution. Therefore, the school has clearly noted the entrance threshold in the admission information.

"Candidates can rest assured that the school will rely on the official score distribution to come up with the optimal solution, ensuring the selection of suitable candidates for each training program in the fairest way," said a school representative.

Many schools plan to reduce the minimum score and admission standard score by considering the 2025 high school graduation exam scores (Photo: Tien Xuan).

Similarly, a representative of the University of Economics, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (UEB), said that if this year's high school graduation exam score distribution fluctuates strongly, the school will widely announce specific changes in detail.

UEB representative informed: "The school will base on the actual score distribution officially announced to propose Hanoi National University to adjust the admission conditions for the admission method of international English certificates combined with high school study results accordingly."

Previously, the school required the above method as a condition that candidates need to meet one of two conditions for the 2025 high school graduation exam results, including: A minimum score of 8 points in math or a score of 2 subjects (math, literature) of at least 15 points in the 2025 high school graduation exam.

According to a representative of the Academy of Finance, the expected benchmark scores in 2025 for some majors under this unit may decrease by 3-4 points compared to last year.

Many experts also predict that the admission scores of top universities will decrease by 3-5 points. Many schools will have low admission scores, while mid-ranked schools are expected to have admission scores that fluctuate by 3-4 points.

The 2025 high school graduation exam scores are expected to be announced at 8:00 a.m. on July 16.

University and college admissions time 2025 (Source: Ministry of Education and Training).

According to the Ministry of Education and Training's admission registration schedule, independent candidates can register their admission wishes from July 10 to July 20.

12th grade candidates taking the high school graduation exam this year can register, adjust, and add admission wishes an unlimited number of times from July 16 to 5:00 p.m. on July 28.

Candidates' wishes to register for admission to all training institutions by major/program are ranked from 1 to the end (wish 1 is the highest wish).

Candidates must provide data (according to criteria, conditions, and registration procedures specified in the admission information of training institutions) corresponding to the major/program that candidates have registered for admission so that training institutions can use it for admission. Detailed instructions on the registration steps will be posted on the system that candidates will access to register.

All admission requests of candidates to training institutions will be processed on the system and each candidate will only be admitted to the highest choice among the registered choices when ensuring the admission conditions.

Khanh Ly - Huyen Nguyen

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/thi-sinh-dau-dau-chon-nguyen-vong-vi-doan-chac-diem-toan-tieng-anh-thap-20250704080020078.htm