The Admissions and Career Guidance Department of Hanoi University of Science and Technology announced on 24/3 that the score of 98,98/100 broke the previous record of 98,61, set last year by Vu Minh Duc, a former student of Bac Ninh High School for the Gifted.

This score is 2,88 points higher than that of this year's first-round top scorer.

The second round of the thinking assessment (TSA) exam took place over a week ago, with over 20,000 candidates participating in Hanoi, Hung Yen, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Lao Cai, Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, and Da Nang.

Besides the candidate from Hai Phong, two other candidates scored above 90 points. A total of 55 candidates achieved scores of 80 points or higher. The average score for this round was 55,44/100.

The top 5 scoring candidates came from Vinh Bao High School (Hai Phong), High School for Gifted Students in Natural Sciences (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), An Thi High School (Hung Yen), Le Quy Don High School (Ninh Binh), and Hoai Duc A High School (Hanoi).

The score distribution for the second round of the 2026 TSA exam is as follows:

Candidates taking the thinking assessment (TSA) exam at Hanoi University of Science and Technology on 14/3. Photo: HUST

The thinking assessment (TSA) exam by Hanoi University of Science and Technology is one of the large-scale independent exams organized by the university, with results used for admissions.

The exam consists of three sections: mathematical thinking (60 h), reading comprehension thinking (30 h), and science/problem-solving thinking (60 h). The questions focus on evaluating candidates' cognitive abilities, rather than directly testing subject-specific knowledge, with a total score of 100.

This year, Hanoi University of Science and Technology has one more exam round scheduled for 16-17/5.

2026 TSA exam registration and schedule

Last year, the average score for nearly 28,700 candidates taking the thinking assessment exam was 55,23/100. Approximately 50 universities used these results for admissions.

In 2025, Hanoi University of Science and Technology's admission scores based on the thinking assessment exam ranged from 46,48 to 86,97, with Data Science and Artificial Intelligence being the highest.

Duong Tam