High school graduation exam violations and penalties in 2025

Students face point deductions of up to 25%, or complete invalidation of their exam results, for violating 2025 high school graduation exam regulations, such as marking answers, exchanging information with classmates, or bringing prohibited items into the exam room.

These regulations are based on the 2025 high school graduation exam guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Students caught looking at another student’s exam or exchanging information during the exam will receive a warning and a 25% deduction from their score for that subject.

If a student, after receiving a warning, continues to exchange information, copy from another student's exam, or allow another student to copy their work, they will receive a formal reprimand and a 50% point deduction.

Students will be dismissed from the exam if they continue to violate regulations after receiving a reprimand.

Dismissal also applies to students who bring prohibited items, such as unauthorized materials or electronic devices, remove exam papers from the room, receive answers from outside sources, write unrelated content on exam papers, or engage in disruptive or threatening behavior towards exam officials or other students.

Dismissed students must submit their exam papers, answer sheets, and scratch paper to the proctor and leave the exam room immediately. Their entire exam results will be invalidated, preventing them from graduating high school.

Last year, 9 students were dismissed and had their results invalidated for bringing unauthorized materials into the exam room, and 17 students faced the same consequences for using mobile phones.

Students taking the 2024 high school graduation exam in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Quynh Tran

Students taking the 2024 high school graduation exam in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Quynh Tran

Even after the exam, during the grading process, if markers discover marked answers, the student will receive a 50% deduction from their score for that subject.

Students will receive a score of zero if they copy from unauthorized materials, submit two or more exam papers for the same subject, submit an exam paper with handwriting from multiple individuals, or write parts of the exam on scratch paper or unauthorized paper.

If two or more exam papers receive a zero for these reasons, the entire exam results will be invalidated.

In cases of falsified applications for preferential treatment, use of illegal diplomas or certificates, having someone else take the exam, or engaging in disruptive behavior, violence, or assault during the exam, the student's case will be referred to the appropriate authorities for legal action.

The high school graduation exam will take place on 26/6-27/6, with over 1.16 million students participating, an increase of nearly 100,000 compared to last year. This year, students following both the new (2018) and old (2006) curriculum will participate, with different exam subjects and questions.

Students taking the exam for the first time under the 2018 curriculum will take four exams: math and literature (compulsory), and two elective subjects chosen from chemistry, physics, biology, geography, history, economics and law, computer science, technology, and foreign language. The exam schedule for this group is as follows:

Students following the old curriculum will take exams in literature, math, foreign language, and one subject from either the natural sciences group (physics, chemistry, biology) or the social sciences group (history, geography, civics). The exam schedule for this group is as follows: