Moving from separate national exams to the long-standing "three-shares" model and eventually the "two-in-one" national exam, these changes successfully eased the physical and financial burdens on families but gradually exposed deep structural vulnerabilities.

Before 2002, the high school graduation examination and the university entrance examination were entirely separate. Students first had to pass the high school graduation exam before becoming eligible to sit for university entrance exams. All examinations were essay-based, with no multiple-choice testing.

Each university independently prepared examination papers, organized testing, graded exams and selected candidates. Applicants had to travel to each university where they wished to apply, and exam results could not be used for admission elsewhere. Many students sat for multiple entrance examinations held on different dates.

Starting in 2002, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) implemented the university entrance exam under the "three-shares" model: sharing the same exam paper, the same exam dates, and the same test results for admissions. This was considered the first major reform of university admissions in the country.

After completing the high school graduation exam, students entered the university entrance exam held annually around early July. The first phase was designated for Group A/A1 (math, physics, chemistry); the second phase was for Groups B (math, chemistry, biology), C (literature, history, geography), D (math, literature, foreign languages), and other subject combinations. 

In principle, candidates could register for multiple schools and exam groups, but because the schedules for Groups B, C, and D overlapped, they could choose only one combination in the second phase.

The "three-shares" exam lasted from 2002 to 2014 and was highly regarded for its strictness and integrity, as universities directly invigilated and graded exam papers. However, this model created immense pressure regarding exam preparation, time, expenses, and travel for both candidates and their families.

This model also revealed a major weakness: educational institutions were busy with university admissions almost year-round. The idea of organizing a single unified national exam was studied by MOET starting in 2009, but it was not officially implemented until 2015.

The 2015 "2-in-1" exam and the turning point in admissions

The year 2015 marked another major reform when MOET organized the National High School Exam for the first time with two objectives: approving high school graduation and serving as the basis for university and college admissions. 

During the first two years (2015 and 2016), MOET maintained university-hosted exam clusters, which were organized and graded by universities, while graduation-only exam clusters were hosted and graded by local authorities. Candidates took three compulsory subjects - Mathematics, Literature, and Foreign Language - and could register for one to five elective subjects among Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, and Geography.

For the first time, candidates did not have to register for a university before taking the exam; instead, they chose their targeted schools after knowing their scores. 

This created a frantic "application submission and withdrawal race," as many candidates constantly adjusted their applications based on the fluctuating registration numbers at each school. Some families even hired an ambulance to travel from Ha Tinh to Hanoi just to submit their applications on time before the deadline.

On the other hand, the reform eliminated the scene of hundreds of thousands of candidates packing their bags to travel to major cities for exams. As the responsibility of organizing exams was gradually handed over to local Departments of Education and Training, candidates could take the exams in their residential areas, significantly reducing travel costs and physical strain.

Continuous adjustments

The Ministry continued refining the "two-in-one" exam each year. In 2017, the format changed again. 

Besides the three compulsory subjects - Mathematics, Literature and Foreign Language - students could choose only one combined test: Natural Sciences or Social Sciences as optional exam subject. Except for Literature, all subjects were administered as multiple-choice examinations.

In its first year, score distributions rose sharply, pushing admission scores for many university programs above 30 points after bonus points were included.

In 2018, examination questions were redesigned to better differentiate candidates. However, that same year witnessed one of Vietnam's most serious examination cheating scandals, involving the northern provinces of Ha Giang, Son La and Hoa Binh.

Hundreds of examination papers were manipulated to inflate scores. Some students with failing marks became top scorers, while others received score increases of dozens of points, enabling admission to police academies, military institutions and medical schools.

Le Huyen