The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training has confirmed a technical error in the specialized physics exam for Grade 10 admissions after candidates reported a mistake in one of the formulas provided in the test. Examination authorities subsequently corrected the question and granted all candidates an additional 15 minutes to complete the exam.

On the afternoon of June 2, candidates applying for admission to specialized high school classes in Ho Chi Minh City sat their subject-specific examinations. However, after the official end of the test at 4:30 p.m., many candidates taking the specialized physics exam remained inside examination rooms.

Leaving the examination site at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted at 4:50 p.m., Minh Hoang, a student from Nguyen An Khuong Secondary School, said candidates were allowed to continue working for an additional 15 minutes because an error had been found in one of the questions.

According to Hoang, when only about 10 minutes remained in the exam, officials informed candidates of the mistake and distributed the corrected information. Candidates were then granted an extra 15 minutes to complete their answers.

The student said the mistake involved the cosine theorem formula used in the problem. The correct formula is: BC² = AB² + AC² − 2AB × AC × cosA

However, the exam paper incorrectly stated: BC² = AB² + AC² − 2AB × AB × cosA

"I recognized the problem type because it was familiar, but I couldn't arrive at the answer no matter how many times I tried. After the correction was announced, I was able to continue solving the question," Hoang said.

He added that some candidates had raised concerns with invigilators earlier about a possible mistake in the problem. However, invigilators explained that they were not permitted to provide clarification until receiving official instructions from the examination board.

After the correction was issued, candidates were asked to sign a confirmation acknowledging the extension of examination time. Hoang said the additional 15 minutes were generally sufficient to compensate for the disruption caused by the error.

Many candidates described this year's specialized physics exam as lengthy and requiring extensive calculations and written explanations. Some said they used all five answer booklets provided to complete the test. Nevertheless, most agreed that the extra time largely offset the impact of the mistake.

Speaking with VietNamNet, Ho Tan Minh, Chief of Office at the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, confirmed that the specialized physics exam contained a technical error in a formula.

The correct formula should have been: BC² = AB² + AC² − 2AB × AC × cosA

However, the exam paper mistakenly printed: BC² = AB² + AC² − 2AB × AB × cosA

The error involved replacing AC with AB.

According to Minh, the mistake was identified proactively by the examination board rather than through complaints from candidates. All seven specialized physics examination sites were immediately notified of the correction, and candidates were granted an additional 15 minutes to ensure fairness and protect their interests.

Le Huyen