The aptitude test is the best assessment method to develop candidates' abilities.

-Dear Sir, this year is the first year that VNU organizes admissions according to the Competency Assessment (CAA) method.Public opinion and especially students are very interested in this exam.As Vice President in charge of training of the member university, can you share more information about this new testing method?

First of all, I sympathize with the students and their parents because of their concerns about this exam and about the candidates' registration for admission to VNU. And along with that sympathy, I feel very proud because from many of those concerns, it proves that this school has been and is truly the chosen address of many young people for their career path, commitment and dedication. As a member of the Board of Directors, I respectfully express my thanks and affection that the students and parents have shown to VNU in general and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in particular.

In the upcoming National High School Exam, there are 3 important things I want to emphasize to students as follows:

First: Don't be afraid of the National High School Exam because in fact this exam is designed to suit high school students who are reviewing for exams according to the same blocks as previous years.

The National High School Exam is the best assessment method to develop students' knowledge regardless of which block they are planning to study for, even if they are planning to study for block C because the content is still in the high school program, mainly grade 12, and the National High School Exam structure still ensures that students' strengths are developed in the university entrance exam preparation direction. I mention this first because this is what most students are most concerned about.

For example, for students who are oriented to review for group C, in 195 minutes of the exam with 140 questions, they will do with 2 strong contents: literature (compulsory), social science (optional), the remaining compulsory content is Math. But in my opinion, this is not an obstacle for them. Because in this year's exam, even though they are oriented for group C, they still have to take the math test in the national high school exam to graduate. Therefore, the process of reviewing the math subject of the national high school exam will help students oriented to review for group C to have better preparation for the math content in the National High School Graduation Exam.

It should be noted that the DGNL exam only uses 2 types of multiple choice questions: choosing only 1 correct answer out of 4 answers and filling in the numerical value. This is a very favorable opportunity for students in reviewing for the exam because the assessment requirements here areFocus on understanding and analyzing the exam questions, not just on memorization.This will not put pressure on students in studying and reviewing because the traditional exam method mostly requires a lot of memorization and in the traditional exam, sometimes just a few differences in details affect the exam results.

Also understanding the candidates' concerns, the School's Admissions Council has created an online admissions consulting plan for candidates taking the National High School Exam on how to effectively review for the program.Online consultation number 2: Effective review for competency assessment - sharing from experts and studentswill take place at 9am, Saturday, March 28, 2015.

The format of the National High School Entrance Exam is not unfamiliar to high school students because they have all taken multiple-choice exams, and taking the exam on a computer, which makes many people worry, is actually shown by the mock exams that VNU has organized, students only need to have minimal computer skills to take the exam. Moreover, the National High School Entrance Exam software is designed to provide maximum support to learners to ensure the safety of the exam for candidates in all cases, so students do not have to worry much about how to take the exam on the computer.

Second: The time to organize the National High School Exam effectively supports students in reviewing for the National High School Exam and creates opportunities for candidates to be recognized as having passed the university entrance exam right before the National High School Exam.

I am very interested in this because in any university or college, including VNU, students must graduate from high school to meet the requirements to become university or college students.

The National High School Exam is held on the first 4 days of July 2015 and it is really a very suitable time for students who plan to take the entrance exam to member schools of VNU because the first round of the National High School Exam takes place on May 30 and 31, 2015 (5 days after students finish their high school program), which will not overload students with exam preparation. Moreover, participating in the National High School Exam will give students very useful experiences in how to take the exam with multiple choice questions, which we know many subjects of the National High School Exam also apply this type of question.

In addition, the time to announce the exam results is only a few days after the exam (June 6, 2015). Next, from June 10 to June 25, 2015, students will submit their admission applications and the results of university admission will be announced on June 30, 2015. Thus, if they are recognized as admitted to university (of course, with the condition of graduating from high school) at this time, the next day, students will enter the National High School Exam with much more confidence, and they will have the conditions to focus on the high school graduation exam very well.

With such a roadmap, I believe that students participating in the National High School Exam will not hinder their preparation for the National High School Exam but will also support and motivate them. The issue I would like to pay more attention to is choosing a future career and a major that can help them achieve their dreams at this time because the exam is to be considered for admission to prestigious universities in Vietnam's higher education.

Third: If you want to study at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, you must take an aptitude test.

From 2015 onwards, only students who achieve good results in the National High School Examination will have the opportunity to study at the top universities in the country and the region in the social sciences and humanities. This is the difference that I hope all students will remember.

Schools in VNU only consider admission based on the results of the National High School Exam, not the results of the National High School Exam. Therefore, if you choose this school, the challenge for young people to overcome is the National High School Exam and then the necessary condition is to graduate from high school.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Kim (Photo: Thanh Long)

-Dear Teacher, there is another concern that many students are concerned about: how valuable will the results of the second round of the competency assessment test (in early August 2015) be for them in terms of admission to the School?

Separating the exam from the admission is a common policy in university and college admissions nationwide to implement the roadmap for implementing Resolution 29 of the 11th Party Congress on fundamental and comprehensive innovation of university education. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to understand that the National High School Exam and the admission are two independent processes but in a unified task of selecting the best students to study at university.

The results of the competency assessment test are valid for 24 months.This has been stipulated in the Regulations on regular university admissions of VNU and has been agreed by the Ministry of Education and Training. That means, in June 2015, when students taking the National High School Graduation Exam receive their results and reach the quality assurance threshold (70/140 points) as stipulated in the VNU Regular University Admissions Project from 2015, from that time until June 2017, candidates are eligible to apply for admission to VNU majors that have regulations on conditions for receiving application files with a capacity assessment score of 70 points. Thus, the first or second round of exams in 2015 will not only serve the purpose of admission to VNU in 2015.

Candidates need to carefully read the admission information of the university they are interested in, whether it is inside or outside VNU, and avoid misunderstanding or inaccuracy in the admission information of the universities, which will affect their study opportunities. If you have any concerns, please ask the admissions officer. At the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the Admissions Secretariat not only posts information online but also increases interaction with students and parents through online consultation programs, via social networks such as Facebook (pagehttps://www.facebook.com/tuvantuyensinh.ussh?fref=ts&ref=br_tf), by phone (phone number: 04.38585237, 04.35575892) to promptly support candidates.

Back to your question, in short, you need to remember that if the admission round is at the end of June 2015 and any major has already filled its enrollment quota, there will NOT be any additional enrollment at the end of August 2015. This information will be announced together with the admission results on June 30, 2015. Therefore, the results of the second round of the National High School Exam will remain valid for 24 months, but for the 2015 admission round, it can only be used for majors that still have enrollment quotas and have a minimum score of 70 points.

However, you need to note the following 2 points related to the 2nd round of the 2015 National High School Exam:

- If you have taken the first round of the National High School Exam, you can still take the second round as usual. If you register for the second round, the higher result will be used.

- Those who have taken the first round of the National High School Examination and have been recognized as successful by the end of June 2015 will NOT be considered for the additional round even if the major still has vacancies and the exam scores meet the requirements of the major.

On this occasion, on behalf of the Admissions Council and lecturers of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, I would like to send my best wishes to all students for good health, and wish them to make the right choice of career and succeed in the entrance exam!

Thank you for sharing.