The 2017 university admission scores are expected to be unlikely to change compared to last year with a score range considered "beautiful" like this year.

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In some exams and subjects, many candidates achieved absolute scores of 10, but they were mainly concentrated in large cities and provinces with a tradition of studiousness. However, the number of candidates achieving scores of 0 and scores less than or equal to 1 (failure score) was also relatively large and occurred in most exams and subjects. The average score below 5 in most exams and subjects accounted for about 40-60%.

Commenting on this year's score distribution, Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Duc Trieu, Head of Training Department, National Economics University, said that with the newly announced score distribution, the exam basically achieved 2 goals. The test scores have a clear differentiation between the two groups of candidates with and without university admission wishes. The separation of groups reflects the true purpose and goal of the exam.

Dr. Nguyen Hoang Long, Vice Principal of the University of Transport Technology, said that through the score distribution of groups A, A1, B, C and D1, it can be seen that the score distribution is quite balanced. Scores from 27 points and above only account for 1%. The number of candidates with excellent scores (from 24 points and above) accounts for less than 7%. The scores of A, A1, B, D1 are mainly concentrated in the 16-17 point range. This is a good premise for universities to enroll students this year.

Mr. Vu Khac Ngoc, a teacher at the Hoc Mai center system, said that the new score distribution only represents a relative reference for candidates. The average score of the exam subjects this year is lower than in 2016, but that does not mean that this year's exam is more difficult. Because last year, candidates were allowed to "choose their exam subjects".

That means most of the candidates who chose Chemistry had planned to apply for groups A, B, D07 (groups that include Chemistry in university admission). In other words, Chemistry is the strong subject of that candidate. This year, due to the natural science and social science exams, all candidates who do not need to apply for Chemistry still have to take the Chemistry exam. Therefore, even though the exam is much easier, the "average score" will still be lower than in 2016.

According to the reporter's investigation, for the three compulsory subjects Math, Literature and Foreign Language, in 2016, there were 86,259 candidates with a score of 7 or higher in Math, this year the number is 431,578. In 2016, there were 144,528 candidates with a score of 7 or higher in Literature, this year it decreased slightly to 138,911. In Foreign Language, there were 70,677 candidates with a score of 7 or higher this year, while in 2016 there were only 23,597 candidates.

Difference of 0.5 points: No need to adjust wishes

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Duc Trieu, this year's score distribution creates favorable conditions for schools to consider admission. The score distribution has increased, slightly higher, with an additional margin of 0.5 points compared to 2016, which is favorable for candidates and schools.

Candidates exchange papers after taking the Math exam at Chu Van An High School - Thai Nguyen City, National High School Graduation Exam 2017. Photo: Ngoc Chau.

However, Associate Professor Trieu said that this year's admission has many new points, so it is impossible to rely on the experience from previous years to do admission. The nature of university admission this year is different from previous years. Candidates can register for many wishes but only pass one wish. This is what candidates should pay attention to.

“There is a risk for candidates that the information is not perfect. If you see that this school or this major had a low score last year, with the achieved score, you can register there, but it is not certain that the standard score for that major will be low this year. Because the score can increase. Therefore, candidates should stay calm. If the score is 0.5 points lower or higher than last year, then rest assured that there is no need to adjust your wishes. Because this year, admission is based on the principle of terraced fields,” Associate Professor Bui Duc Trieu shared.

Associate Professor Trieu also commented that this year's benchmark scores are still following the rules without any changes. But that is the general situation, and it is very difficult to predict each major. Because some majors are hot, such as Marketing at the National Economics University or General Medicine at Hanoi Medical University, candidates with high scores tend to focus on that major. So the scores may increase. According to Associate Professor Bui Duc Trieu's prediction, the admission quality threshold of the National Economics University this year is not lower than last year. In fact, candidates applying to the school all have scores of 20 points or higher.

Dr. Nguyen Hoang Long also commented that this year's benchmark score fluctuations are not much compared to last year. Because the average score of candidates in the groups is mainly 16 - 17, there will be no fluctuations. Dr. Long only has one note for candidates when adjusting their wishes, which is that they need to be responsible for finding information, grasping information to choose a career that suits their interests and future job opportunities.

Mid-level schools find it difficult to increase benchmark scores.

Master Pham Thai Son, Deputy Director of the Center for Admissions and Business Relations (HCMC) said: With this score range, the increase in scores for mid-ranked schools will not be much, the reason is that the average score last year was from 3 - 5 points and this year it is from 4 - 6 points, the increase in scores is not much.

“For the top schools, the difference in scores is not high, so a difference of only 0.25 points can make a difference. Therefore, the top schools will not increase their scores much, but candidates will be at risk because just 0.25 points can cause them to fail the university entrance exam for their favorite major and school,” said Mr. Son.

Regarding the floor score, Mr. Son said that this year it is likely that it will be the same as last year or will not increase much. “Although the score range is good and quite high, it is clear that the number of candidates taking the exam to use the results for university and college admission is only 600,000, while the admission quota for this group is already 400,000. In addition, this is also the average score that most students achieve,” Mr. Son explained.

Similarly, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Minh Ha, Head of Training Department of Ho Chi Minh City Open University, also said that the floor and standard scores are expected to not change much or increase slightly compared to last year because the number of candidates with below average scores is quite large. “The scores of middle-ranking schools may not increase much, but for top-ranking schools, there may be fluctuations, especially for medical and pharmaceutical schools, polytechnics…”, Mr. Ha said.