Compared to last year, the number of candidates is approximately 5,000 higher. Meanwhile, eight police academies are recruiting 2,350 students, an increase of 200.

Traveling from Phu Tho to the People's Security Academy for registration on the afternoon of 5/7, Dinh Thi Huyen Hau, from Huong Can High School, smiled brightly as she was greeted and guided by academy students. Hau expressed pride in passing the preliminary round, but admitted to feeling a little nervous as she prepared to enter the registration room.

"I've dreamed of joining the police force since 8th grade," Hau said. "I've prepared very thoroughly for this exam."

Huyen Hau at the registration session at the People's Security Academy, afternoon of 5/7. Photo: Duong Tam

Huyen Hau at the registration session at the People's Security Academy, afternoon of 5/7. Photo: Duong Tam

In addition to reviewing general knowledge similar to the high school graduation exam, Hau also studied based on the structure and format of the Ministry of Public Security's assessment exam after the sample questions were released in January.

This year's assessment exam for admission to the People's Police Academies has been adjusted to suit the first cohort of students graduating under the 2018 general education program.

The 150-minute written exam consists of three sections. The compulsory essay section includes a social commentary essay, totaling 25 points. The compulsory multiple-choice section includes 35 math questions (35 points), 10 history questions (10 points), and 20 foreign language questions (15 points). The optional multiple-choice section has 15 questions (15 points), with candidates choosing one subject from physics, chemistry, biology, or geography.

The results of this exam are then converted to a 30-point scale and combined with the high school graduation exam scores from three subjects at a 60-40 ratio, along with any bonus points, to form the final admission score. Candidates use this score to apply to the eight police academies.

Admission combinations for the eight police academies are available.

Huyen Hau chose the C03 combination (math, literature, history) for her high school graduation exam and geography for the optional multiple-choice section of the assessment exam. Having not performed well in math previously, she said she would try her best in tomorrow's exam.

Candidates completing registration on the afternoon of 5/7. Photo: Duong Tam

Candidates completing registration on the afternoon of 5/7. Photo: Duong Tam

Trinh Ly Hoang Long, a student from Dao Duy Tu High School in Thanh Hoa, felt some pressure before this exam.

"After the high school graduation exam, my whole class went on a trip, but I continued studying with the goal of getting into the People's Security Academy as my first choice," Long said.

Excelling in subjects within the A00 combination (math, physics, chemistry), Long is concerned about the compulsory multiple-choice sections in history and English. Since he didn't take these two subjects in the graduation exam, he had to allocate extra time to study them separately.

"I did quite well in the graduation exam," Long assessed. "I hope to maintain that performance in this exam."

Sharing the same sentiment, Hoang Dinh Toan, a student from Nguyen Luong Bang High School in Lao Cai, felt anxious seeing the significantly higher number of candidates compared to previous years. Having spent two months preparing based on the sample questions, knowing that this exam accounts for 60% of the final admission score, Toan aims to achieve the highest possible score to compensate for his less-than-ideal performance in the high school graduation exam.

People's Security Academy staff assisting candidates in finding their exam rooms. Photo: Duong Tam

People's Security Academy staff assisting candidates in finding their exam rooms. Photo: Duong Tam

The Ministry of Public Security's assessment exam was first held in 2022 with 9,000 candidates. Since then, the scale of the exam has gradually increased, reaching 18,000 last year. The Ministry has arranged dozens of exam centers with support staff to ensure security, guide candidates, and manage traffic flow.

This year, among the eight police academies, the People's Security Academy has the highest intake (540 students), followed by the People's Police Academy (530).

In addition to considering the combined score of the assessment exam and the high school graduation exam, these academies also use two other methods: direct admission for students who have won national and international competitions according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Public Security; and admission based on the Ministry of Public Security's assessment exam combined with international language certificates.

Last year, the highest benchmark score for admission to the eight police academies using the combined score method was 25.52.

Duong Tam