Ho Chi Minh City anticipates 10th-grade entrance exam on 1-2/6

Ho Chi Minh City's public 10th-grade entrance exam is expected to be held on the first two days of June, according to the Department of Education and Training.

The Department of Education and Training announced this information on the afternoon of 4/3. This plan is nearly one week earlier than previous years, aligning with the city's initial enrollment schedule and the Ministry of Education and Training's high school graduation exam dates (11-12/6).

The Department had initially planned the exam for late 6/, but concerns that extending the study period by one month could pressure candidates, lead to excessive tutoring, overwhelm them, and incur costs, prompted the change.

This year, students in Ho Chi Minh City will take three subjects: Math, Literature, and Foreign Language (primarily English) to earn admission points for public high schools. Those aspiring to specialized schools will take an additional corresponding specialized subject exam. However, in Thanh An island commune, schools may consider 10th-grade admission based on academic transcripts.

Ho Chi Minh City's 10th-grade exam sample questions

According to the Department, the 10th-grade exam structure will remain consistent with last year. The knowledge scope will primarily cover grades 8 and 9, with difficulty levels adjusted to suit the academic capabilities of students across the city after consolidation.

The Literature exam consists of two parts, with a duration of 120 minutes. Part one, worth 5 points, includes two reading comprehension questions based on a literary text (3 points) and a paragraph writing task (2 points). Part two requires reading comprehension (1 point) and writing a social commentary essay (4 points).

The Math exam features 7 questions, to be completed in 120 minutes, primarily assessing knowledge in: geometry and measurement; number and algebra; statistics and probability.

The English exam comprises 40 questions covering phonetics, vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, writing, and communication. Students will complete the exam in 90 minutes.

For the 2025-2026 academic year, Ho Chi Minh City has nearly 172,000 9th-grade students. The city's high school system includes 170 public schools, among which four specialized schools directly under the Department are: Le Hong Phong, Tran Dai Nghia, Le Quy Don, and Hung Vuong.

The Department projects that at least 70% of junior high school graduates will be admitted to public schools.

Ho Chi Minh City's 2025 public 10th-grade admission scores