The Ministry of Education and Training develops a conversion framework for admission thresholds and university benchmark scores across different admission methods using the percentile method, through multiple steps.
This information is part of the 2025 university admissions guidance issued by the Ministry of Education and Training on May 19.
The Ministry proposes three types of score conversion frameworks.
The first is the conversion between types of test scores, such as the high school graduation exam, competency assessment tests, and thinking ability tests conducted by various universities.
Specifically, the conversion framework provides score ranges of specific tests and subject combinations of the high school graduation exam based on the percentile method. This method relies on the score distributions of both exams and determines the scores at equivalent percentiles for conversion.
For example, universities may select the top 1% of candidates from both exams. The scores required to reach the top 1% in each exam are considered equivalent.
The Ministry of Education and Training states that it will analyze the exam results of candidates who possess both specific test scores and corresponding subject combination scores from the graduation exam in 2025. The score ranges will correspond to the top 0.5%, 1%, 3%, 5%, and 10%, as shown in the table below:
It is the responsibility of universities organizing their own exams to identify the graduation exam subject combinations most aligned with the characteristics of their specific tests and to recommend these to other institutions, clearly indicating which combination is most suitable.
These universities must also publish the percentiles of the 2025 specific test results (X0, X1 in the table), cooperate with the Ministry to analyze the graduation exam results of candidates who also took the specific tests, and then announce the corresponding subject combination score ranges (A0, A1, B0, B1… in the table). This must be completed no later than three days after the release of graduation exam results.
Based on this data, the admission scores and minimum thresholds for each field of study will be linearly converted within each score range.
For instance, the admission score for subject combination A00 (T_A00) falling within the range A2–A3 will be converted to an equivalent score based on the Hanoi National University’s competency assessment (T_HSA) using the formula:
T_HSA = HSA3 + (T_A00 – A3) × (HSA2 – HSA3) / (A2 – A3)
The second is the conversion framework between subject combinations using the high school graduation exam scores. The Ministry states that the centralized admissions support system will input the score differences between the primary subject combination and others for each major at universities.
The determination of admission score differences between common subject combinations will be based on score distribution comparisons released by the Ministry after the graduation exam results, according to admission score intervals.
A student taking the 2024 high school graduation exam in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Quynh Tran
The third is the conversion framework for admission scores based on academic records. The Ministry notes that academic grades are not standardized nationwide. Therefore, building a common conversion framework is not meaningful.
However, the Ministry will publish statistical correlations between graduation exam subject scores and the average grades of high school subjects. Based on that, universities will define their own conversion rules.
Based on the above principles and guidance frameworks, universities will develop their own conversion tables and formulas for each major.
Specifically, universities will select appropriate tests and subject combinations for each admission method. For each specific test, a separate table should be created. Each conversion table should use only the most appropriate subject combination.
Universities may divide the score ranges more precisely or adjust the ranges in the conversion framework to suit the requirements of each major.
For other admission methods, the Ministry recommends that universities develop appropriate conversion tables and recommends using the percentile method.
The basis for constructing conversion tables includes previous years’ admissions data, student academic performance, subject combinations, score distributions of exams, exam difficulty, grading scales, and the characteristics of candidate groups by method.
2025 marks the first year that the Ministry requires universities to standardize the conversion of minimum thresholds and admission scores across different admission methods and subject combinations under common guidelines.
According to Deputy Minister Hoang Minh Son, this regulation is issued because, in previous years, universities allocated quotas by admission method, leading to varying benchmark scores. This practice lacked scientific foundation.
Last year, more than 615,000 candidates were admitted to universities, about 68,000 more than in 2023, accounting for 85% of successful admissions.
Source: Duong Tam / https://vnexpress.net
