More than 710,000 candidates from across the country will take part in the first phase of the 2012 university entrance examinations on July 4-5.

The two-day examinations in this phase are for students in Groups A (mathematics, physics and chemistry), A1 (mathematics, physics and English) and V (mathematics, physics and drawing).

The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) announced that the university entrance exams will be divided into three phases, with the second phase taking place on July 9 -10 for Groups B (mathematics, biology, and chemistry), C (literature, history and geography) and D (mathematics, literature and foreign languages).

The final stage for college entrance exams is scheduled for July 15-16.

This year, over 1.81 million registrations were sent to universities and colleges, including 1.35 million for university entrance exams and 454,000 for the college exams. Group A accounts for the most registrations with more than 864,000 for both university and college entrance exams.

Candidates arrived at universities on July 3 to enrol for the first phase of exams and correct any mistakes on their registrations before taking the crucial exams tomorrow.

To ensure the examinations are conducted properly and fairly, the MoET has stipulated that candidates must be present at the exam venues on the prescribed date and are not allowed to take study materials, mobile phones, cameras, recorders, and other electronic equipment into the examination rooms.

The MoET also encourages examinees, teachers, educational officers and others involved in the exams to be vigilant and denounce any violations of the enrolment regulations.

Provinces and cities across the country have been preparing for the upcoming exams and many young people have enthusiastically volunteered to assist the candidates and their relatives in finding accommodation and the exam locations.

In Can Tho city, more than 4,500 free accommodation spaces and 6,000 free meals will be provided for disadvantaged students from 13 Mekong Delta provinces during the exams. The Can Tho municipal Student Association has also mobilised more than 20,000 cheap or free lodgings for candidates and their relatives who accompany them to the exams. Ten temples in the city will also provide 500 free accommodation spaces for students.

The Quang Ngai provincial Youth Union joined hands with businesses and is offering free coaches to transport 300 poor students to exam venues in Da Nang and Binh Dinh. They will also be provided with free or inexpensive accommodation and meals during the exams.

Bac Giang provincial Youth Union co-ordinated with the Bac Giang Student Association in Hanoi to arrange coaches and free motorbike taxis to transfer 500 students and their relatives to exams locations in Hanoi. Seven hundred free accommodation spaces and 800 cheap lodgings near exam venues in Hanoi and Thai Nguyen have also been provided for candidates from Bac Giang.

Nhan Dan