It Takes a Year to Prepare for the World's Largest Exam.
In China, one of the most important events in a person's life is the National College Entrance Examination that is normally given over a two-day period once each year.
It is estimated that 5.95 million high school graduates out of some 10 million will be admitted into universities.
While each province in China has its own College Entrance Examination, they are very similar to each other and they are given on the same two days throughout the Country.
The exam is about 40% multiple choice and 60% open-ended essay and covers the students' six major subjects. In Liaoning Province, high school students are divided into arts/humanities or science/math and their version of the College Entrance Examination reflects their major.
For a math/science major, their exam will consist of 150 points each for math, Chinese, and English and 100 points each for biology, chemistry and physics for a total of 750 total points (or marks, as the Chinese refer to them).
An arts/humanities major will have 150 points each for math, Chinese, and English and 100 points each for geography, politics/economics and history.
The exams are given in selected middle schools around Dalian, based on where the high school student lives.
There are 30 sets of tables and chairs in each exam room. Invigilators, or monitors, must stand on each side of the classroom to keep watch over the students.
If a student asks a question, the monitor must answer the question out loud. They must also accompany those who go to the washroom. No cell phones, watches, calculators or other objects are allowed in the testing center.
The preparation for this exam is, in a word, unbelievable.
Most high school seniors are up at 5:00 a.m. and begin studying; they stay at school until 8:30 p.m. every night; and they attend special classes on most Saturdays and Sundays. Parents will devote their evenings to fixing food and healthy snacks so their children can maintain their health during this time. TVs are turned off and parents stay quiet so as not to disturb their child. On a recent survey reported in China Daily-the English language newspaper of China-90% of parents and students reported that the child was feeling so much pressure that it affected his/her health. The fact that most Chinese only have one child makes this event even more stressful because the parents' "face" is wrapped up in the success or failure of their child on this test. Parents will even rent hotel rooms near the examination centers so their child can rest between the morning and afternoon test sessions.
On the last day of the exam, the streets in front of exam centers will be filled with parents and other relatives anxiously awaiting their child's appearance. Last year, one of my high school friends reported that a girl in his testing room broke into sobs during the test.
Amazingly, the tests will be scored in about three weeks The results posted on the internet. Students will then begin the process of seeing which university they are eligible to attend based on their score.
Prior to the posting of the actual scores, the answers to the questions will be posted on the internet and the students' high school teachers will help them get an idea of how well or how poorly they did so the results won't be a complete shock.
The day after the test, the seniors come back to their high school to meet with their teacher to go over their answers. The students are used to the 750 point concept because their final exams at the end of each term are based on the same 750 points. Students also know the approximate score that is necessary to get into a university.
Students are essentially "loaded" into universities depending on their schores.
For example, China's top two universities, Beijing University and Tsinghua University had a lowest cut score for a student from Liaoning Province at 647 and 649 respectively.
The major universities in Dalian cut scores were as follows: Dalian Foreign Language University, 564; Northeast Financial University, 555; Dalian University of Technology, 544; Liaoning Normal University, 517; and Dalian Maritime University, 515.
The cut scores actually differ from one province to another because slots in universities are allocated to provinces according to a formula. In addition, students from one of the 55 ethnic minorities receives 10 additional marks. Students I have talked to have no resentment to this form of affirmative action. The lowest cut score for a third tier college is 310. The China Education and Research Network reports that in 2002 there were 1396 institutions of higher education in the country.
This year, the examination took place on June 7 and 8. On June 26, the seniors received their scores.
It is unbelievable that 10,000,000 exams can be scored in less than a month, especially since much of the exam is written in essay form.
Adding to the complexity, students who lived in the earthquake impacted areas were given an extra month to prepare and those students received a totally different examination.
Many universities gave additional "marks" to students impacted by the earthquake.
The intense preparation for this exam begins immediately after the seniors leave their high schools.
On the first day of class after the exam, the juniors move into the senior classrooms. The sophomores then move into the classrooms vacated by the juniors. These students will be in school until mid-July. Previously, the sophomores and juniors "just" stayed at school until 7:00. Now, the new seniors stay until 8:30; many not getting home until 9 because of catching and switching buses. Some students even have an extra hour of private tutoring and then get home around 10 and then do their homework.
This changing of classrooms sets a tone of direction and importance.
After the juniors clear their classrooms, the sophomores move into the junior's classrooms. In serving as a foreign teacher at Dalian School No. 48, my sophomores reported a feeling of responsibility and obligation by this action.
The role of the parent is tremendous.
There will be a parent meeting on the last day of school in July (at 3:00 in the afternoon with most parents in attendance) where one-third of the time will be spent on the current school year and two-thirds of the time on what will be taught the next year, what parents can expect, and how parents can help. Students will come back to school two or three times during the summer to touch base with their teacher, do some volunteer work in the neighborhood, and help clean the school to get it ready for fall. In addition, students are given a 120 page workbook to complete during the summer months.
Celebrating success and merit pay is important to the Chinese system.
On Saturday, July 05, 2008, students and parents went to the High School Affiliated with Liaoning Normal University for an early morning celebration of the fact that two girls received the two highest marks in the city on their College Entrance Examinations.This is the first time this has happened to this school in years so the red carpet was rolled out, fireworks were ignited, speeches given and the girls' head teacher (Banzhuren) was awarded a bonus of 30,000 yuan ($4280). Other teachers of the girls received bonuses of 10,000 yuan (equal to more than two month's salary) and the minor teachers received 1000 yuan bonuses. Teachers who had retired previously were given 200 yuan bonuses. Even more remarkably, the girls' banzhuren from middle school received a 5000 yuan bonus as well. In China, the students' teachers generally stay with them throughout their time at the school. That means the sophomore math teacher moves with the students to the junior year and then to the senior year. Therefore, these teachers are pretty much responsible for the child's growth in their particular subject.
On that Celebration Saturday, even though there were only two weeks of school left, the "new seniors" began their special Saturday classes. Beginning next fall, these students will attend classes on both Saturday and Sunday to help them prepare for this monster exam.
Author's Note: I have lived in Dalian for a year and a half, teaching Oral English at Liaoning Normal University.
In addition, I serve as foreign teacher at Dalian School No. 48.
My blog documents my experience in China: http://steveschina.spaces.live.com/
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The exams are given in selected middle schools around Dalian, based on where the high school student lives.
Amazingly, the tests will be scored in about three weeks
This year, the examination took place on June 7 and 8.
