HÀ NỘI - Nearly 900,000 students nationwide yesterday registered for the national high school exam, the most important exam after 12 years of study, which takes place from today until July 4.

According to Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), 98.22 per cent of applicants went to exam venues to register yesterday.

Since last year, high school graduation and university entrance exams have been combined into one national exam.

The results of the national exam will be considered for both the high school graduation and university admissions.

According to MoET, the number of candidates registered this year decreased by about 120,000, equal to 12 per cent, compared to last year. About 32 per cent of the candidates will take the exam to get results for their high school graduation only.

The ministry has set up plans to send experienced officers to support testing centres in disadvantaged regions such as central region, Central Highlands region or exam venues managed by universities for the first time and managed by local education department, Minister of Education and Training Phùng Xuân Nhạ said.

Bùi Văn Ga, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, said that the test structure this year is not different from last year with the content focusing on 12th grade programme. The questions will not be tricky and not require students to learn knowledge by heart.

The ministry will also set up 14 inspection teams to conduct both scheduled and unexpected inspections at exam venues. There will be also other 120 inspection teams set up by exam councils, localities and other ministries.

The MoET will work closely with police to identify hi-tech cheating during the exam.

In Hà Nội which has the highest number of registered candidates, despite heavy rain in the early yesterday morning, more than 76,000 students showed up on time at 8 am at testing centres to register for the exam.

The city’s youth volunteers have been mobilised to give support to candidates and candidate’s relatives in the hope of smooth national exams.

Traffic police officers have also been sent to the venues to ensure no congestion occurs during the four-day exam.

More than 20,000 volunteers in HCM City are part of the programme organised by the HCM City Student Assistance Centre between June 25 and August 12 to support students during the exam period.

The University of Technology and Education gave VNĐ65 million (US$2,888) in funds from sponsors to Bình Thuận Province’s Communist Youth Union to hire buses to transport disadvantaged students from its districts to Phan Thiết City.

All of the 12 exam venues are in the city, where 11,599 candidates will take the tests.

In the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, there are 12 national high school exam venues with 13,212 candidates. 

Six-hundred volunteers are working for the province’s candidate assistance programmes.

Hoàng Xuân Quảng, deputy rector of An Giang University, said the university had provided addresses for accommodation, food stores and other places on https://www.agu.edu.vn/tsmt2016/index.php to help candidates and parents find accommodation near exam venues.

The university is also working with companies to offer free meals and drinks to candidates and their parents.

Students will be tested on four subjects, which comprise three compulsory subjects of mathematics, literature and a foreign language, and an optional subject. The optional subjects that the students can choose from are physics, chemistry, biology and history, as well as geography.

The students can take extra tests in other subjects for better chances of getting admission to universities and colleges.

The test marking is scheduled to take place no later than July 20. - VNS