The Ministry of Education and Training issued guidelines on 19/3 for organizing the 2026 high school graduation exam, detailing the schedule as follows:

Candidates can register for the exam from 24/4 to 17h on 5/5. Exam results will be announced at 8h on 1/7.

six changes in the 2026 high school graduation exam

Candidates taking the high school graduation exam must complete four exams, with Mathematics and Literature being compulsory. For the two elective subjects, candidates choose from the subjects they have studied at school: Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Geography, History, Economic and Legal Education, Informatics, Agricultural Technology, Industrial Technology, and Foreign Language.

The Literature exam will be in an essay format. The remaining subjects will be multiple-choice, featuring questions requiring selection of the correct option, true/false responses, and short answers.

Professor Doctor Nguyen Ngoc Ha, Deputy Director of Quality Management at the Ministry of Education and Training, stated in February that this year's exam will continue to assess practical competence, closely adhere to the new curriculum, and maintain a 4:3:3 differentiation ratio for recognition, comprehension, and application levels. As the format is similar to the previous year, the Ministry will not release sample exams.

exam papers and answer keys for 2025 high school graduation exam subjects

Candidates in TP HCM taking the 2025 high school graduation exam. *Photo: Quynh Tran*

In the formula for calculating graduation scores, exam scores account for 50%; academic transcript scores from grades 10, 11, and 12 comprise the remaining 50%, along with any priority points. Additionally, candidates use these exam results for admission consideration to universities and colleges.

Duong Tam