Candidates for the national high school exam this year should keep in mind new guidelines to better prepare for the exam, scheduled from June 24 to 27.

Candidates after their test in the 2017 national high school exam in HCM City.

It was said by Nam Nhat Minh, head of the Exam Management and Enrolment Office under the Ministry of Education and Training on Sunday.

First, the exam will include the syllabus of both Classes 11 and 12, the Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper reported.

Second, tests marked with different codes will be given to candidates following the seating chart of the examination hall this year. Earlier, supervisors could give the tests randomly to candidates.

Third, each candidate will be provided just one answer sheet for each test as the number of answer sheets has been fixed in accordance with the number of registered candidates. Therefore, every candidate is advised to make judicious use of the answer sheet.

Fourth, the break time between two tests will only be 10 minutes unlike the 20 minutes in previous years.

It is estimated that more than 925,000 candidates will sit for the high school exam this year.

According to the ministry, only 455,174 of them will get entry into universities and colleges, 1.2 per cent more than last year, with the rest going to vocational and other schools.

The exam structure this year will consist of 60 per cent of basic knowledge and 40 per cent of advanced knowledge to test the candidates.

Each candidate will have to take five tests, including three independent tests (mathematics, literature and foreign languages), and two mixed tests - Natural Sciences (physics, chemistry and biology) and Social Sciences (history, geography and citizen education).

Except for the literature test, which will be in an essay form to be completed in 120 minutes, the remaining tests will be in the form of questionnaire, with 90 minutes for mathematics, 60 minutes for foreign languages and 150 minutes for the mixed test (50 minutes for each component). — VNS