All of these concepts would have been seen in some form in the imperial exam, with those demonstrating the greatest understanding of Confucian morality earning the best government jobs.  The system of testing was designed according to the Confucian principle of a society ruled by men of merit, and to achieve this by objectively measuring various candidates knowledge and intelligence.

Taking the test

The examinations consisted of tests administered at the district, provincial, and metropolitan levels. Tight quotas restricted the number of successful candidates at each level — for example, only three-hundred students could pass the metropolitan examinations. Students often took the examinations several times before earning a degree.

Intense pressure to succeed meant that cheating and corruption were rampant, often outrunning strenuous attempts to prevent or defeat them. In order to discourage favoritism which might occur if an examiner recognized a student’s calligraphy, each exam was recopied by an official copyist. Exact quotes from the classics were required; misquoting even one character or writing it in the wrong form meant failure, so candidates went to great lengths to bring hidden copies of these texts with them, sometimes written on their under garments.

Gaokao

The gaokao is modern China’s university entrance exam. Somewhat similar to the American SAT, except that it lasts more than twice as long, the nine-hour test is offered just once a year and is the sole determinant for admission to virtually all Chinese colleges and universities.

A report by Xinhua, the state news agency, said that of the 9.15 million students who took the gaokao in 2012, at least 2 million will get rejected from college. Once the students get their scores, they submit a list of universities to education officials, ranking them in order of choice. Administrators at the universities then look at the students’ scores and decide whether to admit them for the coming September.

“3+X” system

Students must pass four tests as part of the Gaokao – this is known as the 3+X system.

The gaokao is a key to social mobility in China and a defining moment in the lives of those who take it. Success and failure on the test can mean the difference between prosperity and a life of drudgery. It also determines the direction in life an individual will take: company management, government bureaucracy, or a profession such as medicine. Success or failure can not only shape the lives of those who take it can also shape the lives of their families, who may depend on their future earnings.

Because the gaokao is so vitally important, there are always students willing to attempt cheating on it, and with modern technology cheating has become a veritable arms race between students, the authorities, and enterprising merchants who offer everything from false erasers and rulers to eyeglasses featuring hidden cameras connected to off-site helpers who use the internet to scan questions and feed test takers correct answers. Authorities now patrol test sites with remote controlled drones and often outfit test sites with a variety of signal-blocking electronic devices, but cheating devices of various sorts are still readily available to those foolish or unprepared enough to attempt using them.

High tech cheating schemes that were detected in recent years.

Photo identification is required to prevent a ringer from sitting for the exam on another student’s behalf.

A drone monitors test-takers.

High security at the examination place.

1. Summarize the history of the Imperial Examination.  What subjects were traditionally covered on this test, and what does this tell you about the values that Chinese have sought in their leaders?
2. Mao Zedong, founder of the People’s Republic of China, called the gaokao a weapon of the bourgeoisie which kept the rich rich and the poor poor.  Gaokao expert Professor Wang Yong calls the gaokao a chance for the children of the poor to “surpass the privileged ‘tall, rich, and handsome,” to beat the offspring of the wealthy and powerful.”  Evaluate each of these arguments.
3. Compare and contrast the gaokao with high stakes testing such as the SAT or state standardized testing in the U.S.  Draw upon the arguments articulated by Mao and Professor Wang in question two – in your opinion, who best describes the U.S. system?
4. Is it better for the government to design such tests, or should this task be contracted to a private corporation like ETS or Pearson?  What are the downfalls of each system? For further background on this controversy, start here.
5. If you were in charge, would you modify the Chinese college entrance system?  Describe specific measures you would take to modify, reform, or abolish the gaokao.
6. Consider issues of bias that might arise from a national test given to rich children and poor children, urban children and rural children, and children of different ethnic backgrounds.  Have you ever experienced examples of bias in exams you have taken?  Identify potential bias in the following  questions taken from the actual gaokao – what assumptions are being made by the authors of these questions?

• Topic 1: “A father was talking on the phone while driving on a highway. His daughter reminded him repeatedly to stop doing this, but her father would not listen. The daughter called the police and reported her father at last. When the police arrived, the father was reprimanded. This generated heated debate among the public.” Write a letter of 800 words to either the father, the daughter or the police officer.
• Topic 2: Who do you admire the most? A biotechnology researcher, a welding engineering technician or a photographer?
  • Biotechnology researcher: Mr. Lee led the company to a globalized market.
  • Welding engineering technician : Mr. Wang was an ordinary welding engineering technician, and through perseverance, has become a world-renowned craftsman.
  • Photographer: The photographer posted a collection of his photos to his blog and was well-received online.
• Topic 3: Do butterfly wings have colors? “A teacher asked the students to look at butterflies under a microscope. At first, they thought the butterflies were colorful, but when they looked at them closely, they realized that they were actually colorless.”  Based on this story, write an essay.