The 2026 National High School Graduation Exam, scheduled for June 11-12, will see over 1.2 million candidates, also a record high. Professor Huynh Van Cuong, Director of the Department of Quality Management, Ministry of Education and Training, announced on the afternoon of 5/5 that by 5 p.m. – the registration deadline – the system recorded over 1.22 million candidates. Among them, nearly 1.16 million (94.78%) are 12th-grade students, with the remaining being independent candidates.
The more than 63,800 independent candidates registered this year represent the highest number since 2020, when the exam changed its name from the National High School Exam to the National High School Graduation Exam, with scores used for both graduation and university admissions.
Candidates will take four tests, with Mathematics and Literature being compulsory. Additionally, they must choose two subjects from: Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Geography, History, Economics and Law Education, Informatics, Technology, and Foreign Languages.
The graduation score calculation formula allocates 50% to exam results and the remaining 50% to academic records from grades 10, 11, and 12, along with any priority points. Most universities utilize these exam results for their admission processes.
Exemptions are granted to certain groups of candidates. Yesterday, the Ministry announced a list of 151 candidates exempted from all subjects in this exam, as they were selected for international and regional Olympiad teams.
List of candidates exempted from the 2026 National High School Graduation Exam
Furthermore, nearly 8,000 candidates (0.65%) are exempted from the foreign language exam due to holding foreign language certificates equivalent to IELTS 4.0 or higher.
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Candidates in TP HCM taking the 2025 National High School Graduation Exam. Photo: Quynh Tran |
Duong Tam
