The high school graduation exam from 2025 has many new points compared to previous years:

Firstly, the exam is organized into 3 sessions, including: Literature and Math, one session each, plus one elective exam session including 2 of the following subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, Economic and Legal Education, Information Technology, Industrial Technology (Technology and Agriculture), Foreign Language. Candidates will be arranged according to the elective exam combination to optimize the exam room and exam score.

Second, the graduation recognition will use a combination of process assessment scores (report cards) and exam results at a ratio of 50-50. The average report card score of each year will be calculated by weight. Increasing the rate of using report card assessment scores from 30% to 50% helps to more closely assess the learners' capacity according to the 2018 General Education Program. Report card scores of grades 10 and 11 will also be used (with a smaller weight than grade 12) instead of only grade 12 as before, to promote teaching and learning as soon as students enter high school.

Third, from 2025, foreign language certificates will still be used for exam exemption but will not be converted into 10 points in graduation recognition as before; the graduation score calculation formula does not include foreign language points in this case. This method continues to encourage foreign language learning but aims for greater fairness in graduation. For example, previously, students with an IELTS 4.0 certificate were also converted into 10 points like students with an IELTS 8.5 score.

Fourth, eliminate the bonus points for vocational certificates for all candidates; eliminate the bonus points for IT certificates, foreign languages, and vocational secondary certificates for candidates in Continuing Education. This content is to be consistent with the 2018 General Education Program, and at the same time create equality because students graduating from both formal and continuing education systems are all awarded the same type of graduation certificate.

Fifth, from 2025, the high school exam will allow foreign candidates to use their Vietnamese language certificate to be exempted from the Literature exam in the recognition of high school graduation. This creates favorable conditions for considering graduation recognition for foreigners studying the general education program in Vietnam while still ensuring basic knowledge of Literature through studying this subject in class and taking the exam to obtain a Vietnamese language certificate.