Many new changes in the 2026 National High School Graduation Examination.

Absolutely No Complacency in Organizing the Examination

In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong stated that the national high school graduation examination is held annually on a nationwide scale, with approximately one million candidates and more than 200,000 teachers, officials, and related personnel participating each year.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong delivers the opening speech at the conference.

Drawing from practical experience in organizing the examination, Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong highlighted five important lessons. First, leadership must be close, decisive, and consistent. Second, preparation must be thorough and carried out early. Third, professional work must be proactive, highly competent, and closely aligned with the curriculum. Fourth, coordination must be synchronized and tight due to the nationwide scale of the examination. Fifth, communication must be proactive, ensuring transparent and timely information.

“These are both valuable experiences and essential lessons to guide the direction and organization of the examination, ensuring all requirements are fully met,” Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong emphasized.

Regarding the 2026 national high school graduation examination, the Deputy Minister noted that there are more favorable conditions compared to 2025. “First, there is stability in the two-tier local government system, both organizationally and in personnel. Second, this year the examination is organized for only one group of candidates—those following the 2018 General Education Program—and this is also the second year of implementation for this group,” he said.

With these advantages, combined with years of experience, strong coordination, and attention from central to local levels, the Deputy Minister expressed confidence that the examination would continue to be successfully organized. However, he particularly stressed: “There must be absolutely no complacency; preparation must be careful, early, and proactive.”

Candidates Should Pay Attention to Many New Changes in the National High School Graduation Examination

At the conference, Professor Huynh Van Chuong, Director General of the Quality Management Department under the Ministry of Education and Training, stated that one notable new feature of the 2026 examination is the adjustment of regulations related to inspection and supervision. These changes are designed to align with the transfer of educational inspection responsibilities to the Government Inspectorate and Provincial Inspectorates.

Professor Huynh Van Chuong, Director General of the Quality Management Department, speaks at the conference.

In addition, several examination regulations and procedures have been adjusted to ensure greater suitability and convenience amid the restructuring of the two-tier local government system and provincial administrative units.

Accordingly, examination registration documents will only be stored at high schools. The exam admission notice and candidate card will be merged into a single document called the Examination Admission Notice, issued by the school where the candidate registers. Similarly, the temporary graduation certificate and examination result certificate will be combined into one Examination Result Certificate.

At the same time, the deadline for submitting re-evaluation requests will be shortened so that re-evaluation results can be announced earlier, creating more favorable conditions for university and vocational admissions.

The re-evaluation marking process has also been adjusted to improve effectiveness and quality. Specifically, all examination papers with score changes after re-evaluation must undergo direct review and dialogue.

Beyond these changes, several other aspects of the examination have also been modified for greater efficiency and convenience.

Priority categories have been adjusted to align with the new two-tier local government model and to ensure consistency with admission priority policies, making it easier for schools to verify eligibility from the registration stage.

Information technology will continue to be strengthened in examination management, optimizing data transmission between examination councils and the Ministry through the examination management system, while reducing manual tasks such as sending CDs by post.

A particularly important change is that priority points will now be determined based on the high school attended by the student rather than permanent residence as before. Candidates must also complete at least two-thirds of the high school curriculum at that institution.

Regarding marking procedures, Professor Huynh Van Chuong noted that the number of printing, coding, marking, and re-evaluation committees will be determined by provincial Departments of Education and Training. If more than one committee is established, plans must be developed to ensure consistency, quality, and efficiency across all committees.

Marking procedures remain generally stable compared to 2025. The multiple-choice marking software system has been updated for greater convenience. For re-evaluation, the submission period is five days, and all papers with score discrepancies must be reviewed through dialogue.

Professor Huynh Van Chuong also stated that the Ministry of Education and Training plans to conduct large-scale pilot computer-based examinations in April–May 2026 to serve multiple objectives while preparing for the transition toward computer-based testing. The Ministry will complete and submit the computer-based examination project to the Government and continue developing the relevant legal framework.

Source : Hoàng Thành - Baomoi.com