As university entrance exams will take place in July 2010, now is the time that preparatory classes tend to expand.

VietNamNet Bridge – As university entrance exams will take place in July 2010, now is the time that preparatory classes tend to expand. This year, however, the number of students is fewer than in previous years and centers have started making big promises to lure more clients.

In Hanoi, exam preparatory centers are generally located in Hai Ba Trung, Thanh Xuan and Cau Giay districts. A lot of classes have been set up, but most do not have many clients. One education officer near Hanoi Pedagogical University hopes that more students will register, when exam preparations enter the “sprinting period.”

As there are few learners, exam prep centers try to attract clients by promising the best quality services.

Tran Hanh Nguyen, representative of an exam prep center established by a group of students from Hanoi Foreign Trade University, explained that their institute offers two kinds of services.

The first kind is the “tutoring package” through which students pay tuition only after they pass exams. They commit to no fees during the study phase, while promising to provide the most excellent tutors from the best students and professors.

The second type is preparing exams for students from differing levels and they must pay tuition monthly. Also, the center does not guarantee that these learners will pass.

At the Dang Nguyen Exam Preparatory Centre in HCM City, banners boast that their center has boarding classes and students from other provinces can stay there for 450,000 dong a month.

Other institutes attract students with very attractive advertisements. The “best exam preparation centre in HCM City” brags of its abilities and THT allows students to learn free of charge for half a month, while students only pay tuition when they feel satisfied with the quality of instruction.

According to Tuoi Tre, most students like the centers that promise a refund if students do not pass the university entrance exams.

NHC, a student who in an exam preparatory class, explained that he is learning in a class with just 15 students and must pay 50,000 per lesson. His center offers many preferences, such as free testing. Students can consult with teachers online when they stay at home too.

According to C, the centre guarantees to refund 50 percent of his tuition if he does not pass the university entrance exam.

The refund policies are somewhat unclear, however. Manh studies at a center that refunds tuition if students do not pass exams. Once he paid tuition, his receipt stated that they will not refund money in all cases.

Source: Tuoi tre