Candidates arrive at an exam site to complete pre-exam procedures at Trần Phú High School, Cửa Nam Ward, Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photos

HÀ NỘI — About 125,000 students gathered at exam sites across Hà Nội on Friday morning to complete formalities and receive last-minute instructions ahead of the city’s high-stakes entrance exams for public high schools.

The weather was mild and overcast, easing travel for candidates and parents and reducing the risk of delays.

Invigilators at each testing site briefed candidates on rules and logistics. The session also allowed candidates and their families to scout routes and travel times to exam venues, reducing the risk of arriving at the wrong location or turning up late.

The Đoàn Kết High School exam site has 696 candidates and 29 exam rooms.

At Thanh Xuân Trung Secondary School, site head Bùi Thị Thanh Tâm said the centre has 33 rooms and 756 candidates registered for mathematics and literature. For the foreign language paper, 755 candidates are registered for English and one for Japanese. No candidate at the site requires a separate room for special needs.

Tâm said that preparations of facilities and services are complete and that invigilation staff from Ngô Thì Nhậm High School and teachers from three local secondary schools have been fully briefed on procedures.

Candidates check their exam room information at the Đoàn Kết High School exam site.

The exam site has coordinated security, medical support and contingency plans with Nhân Chính High School and Thanh Xuân Ward police to handle emergencies or unexpected weather during the exam period.

Hà Nội’s public high school entrance exams run from May 30 to 31, with specialised subject tests on June 1.

The city registered nearly 125,000 candidates for public high school places and tens of thousands more for specialised schools.

Hà Nội officials have set up 224 exam sites with about 5,300 main rooms and nearly 400 backup rooms. Some 18,000 staff and nearly 2,000 inspectors will be deployed to ensure the examinations run smoothly and in accordance with regulations, officials said.

Members of Hà Nội’s youth union launch support activities for candidates at the Trần Nhân Tông High School exam site.

Under rules issued by the Hà Nội Department of Education and Training, candidates may only bring essential stationery and non-programmable calculators without memory cards.

Atlases, periodic tables and solubility charts are banned, as are notes, correction fluid, recording devices, communication equipment, flammable items and alcohol.

Candidates must check papers within five minutes of distribution for missing or damaged pages or incorrect codes and report problems immediately, the department said. Arrivals more than 15 minutes after the start will not be admitted. Missing a subject disqualifies a candidate from public school consideration.

Results and expected cut-off scores are due to be published between June 19 and June 22. — VNS

Invigilators call candidates into the exam room at Trầ Phú High School to begin procedures.