"Some provinces, including Beijing, permit students to see their gaokao scores before they apply; others, like Shandong and Anhui, require them to indicate preferences before the results are released. Students are left to guess the best school and department they can get into, which often results in unhappy matches. Mike is about to complete his studies in diplomacy at CFAU. Had he seen his gaokao scores before applying, however, he would have known that he had qualified for his first choice: environmental protection at Peking U. In other cases, students overestimate their scores and are left with no option at the end of the summer but to study another year."

So you can't get into a program unless you score hight enough to get in.
But they wont let you see your results until you've picked your programs.

Brilliant!

Come oooonnnnn research scientist!

*opens envelope, reads*

Dear Cagey B.

The Chinese Government, based on your test scores, has determined that your profession will be to dress in a diaper and turban, and spend years at a time digging irrigation ditches, or building roads, depending on the situation.

You can expect to spend your entire life on the outskirts of Shanghai doing this, except in the rare instances where you will be asked to build small, one-square fortresses, or be attacked by War Elephants.

Please report for duty immediately.

Love,

Chinese Super Authority Bureau

Dawwwww crap.

first prize - university. second prize - death.

Approves.

I feel lucky for not living in China, period.

not me, I was always way better at test taking than doing and understanding the actual work.

/It's true, I test high, but get confused on a daily basis.

If I had to take that test, I probably would have a career drawing car explosions in margins.
Actually doesn't sound too bad.

Unsurprising. Now I would be *slightly* surprised if the content is still 100% essays on Confucius.

PYROY: I feel lucky for not living in China, period.

Aren't you lucky? ^{(^)}

fark Tibet

Um, you know, you can retake the test. I knew that and even says that in TFA.

Sybarite: Well the Chinese did invent the placement exam.

this.

came i did.
to say it.

When I was undecided what to do with my major in college, I went to my adviser's office and took an aptitude and personality test that was supposed to lead me to my "ideal career". Seemed like a bunch of pseudo science, new agey, easily manipulated nonsense that some generic psych major pulled from his arse.

I would have rather taken the intensive 2 day test.

Tech_N9ne

With purchase of another Tibet of equal or greater value?

How very very.

/?

Tech N9ne: Free Tibet.

...with two proofs of purchase.

Farkin Monks....

Someone to come in and complain about their stupid ass Bar Exam (an exam that an amoeba could pass) in 3...2...

Chuck: "The career you're best suited for is 'junkie whore'"
Jerri: "I already did that."

Unrelated:

I just wanted to take the time to thank Fark.com and all Farkers for keeping me company throughout my boring workday and the depressing situation that is my life. Your company means a lot to me. Thanks for everything you guys do.


/Unrelated

Insert crybabies who think it's too harsh, unfair, culturally biased, and a punishment to "really bright students who just test really poorly".

Face it. The Asian education systems are superior to our own, and we spend too much time trying to make sure the snowflakes are happy and involved.

/need more math
//need more science

Slate: your source for 1400 year old newsflashes.

/unimpressed.

Pfft. 2 days only? I took the bar exam in 30 minutes and aced it. Even an amoeba could pass that sorry excuse for a test.

Whatever, I'm studying so hard for my bar exam it's ridiculous...

Charlie Random Name: Unrelated:

I just wanted to take the time to thank Fark.com and all Farkers for keeping me company throughout my boring workday and the depressing situation that is my life. Your company means a lot to me. Thanks for everything you guys do.

/Unrelated

gee dude,

Quit your job, and find something you enjoy doing, life it too short, trust me on this. If you need the money that bad, then save every penny till you can quite and get something else.

Robin Hoodie: Whatever, I'm studying so hard for my bar exam it's ridiculous...

Ha.

I'm shocked--SHOCKED--that anyone else's education might be superior to the United States'!

Pfft. Call me when you manage to rebuild your poorly built school and home. Today, a dramatically unimportant lead in standardized testing. Tomorrow, modern building codes and materials!

/too soon?

Maybe swimming lessons should be in the curriculum.

Cagey B: Come oooonnnnn research scientist!

*opens envelope, reads*

Dear Cagey B.

The Chinese Government, based on your test scores, has determined that your profession will be to dress in a diaper and turban, and spend years at a time digging irrigation ditches, or building roads, depending on the situation.

You can expect to spend your entire life on the outskirts of Shanghai doing this, except in the rare instances where you will be asked to build small, one-square fortresses, or be attacked by War Elephants.

Please report for duty immediately.

Love,

Chinese Super Authority Bureau

Dawwwww crap.

Soda, keyboards, you owe me .. etc etc

Impudent Domain
/It's true, I test high, but get confused on a daily basis.

Well, damn, sparky, put down the pipe already.

The pressure HS students are under there for this test is insane and unlike anything in the west.

Although i admit to laughing when students will only get in cabs that have the number 8 in the plate and it can't have the number 4.

flucto: Face it. The Asian education systems are superior to our own, and we spend too much time trying to make sure the snowflakes are happy and involved.

Primary school, maybe. University, no way.

I don't know. I hate to repeat the Asians memorize thingy(I am asian(the brown type)). The truth is recently Americans jumped on this rote memorization bandwagon. Welcome to the new world order where the brightest will use you as slaves, it doesn't matter which country you are from. If you are not an idependent thinker aboard our substndard gravy train.

Charlie Random Name: Unrelated:

I just wanted to take the time to thank Fark.com and all Farkers for keeping me company throughout my boring workday and the depressing situation that is my life. Your company means a lot to me. Thanks for everything you guys do.


/Unrelated

You are welcome. Also, thanks for all the laughs

thename: I'm shocked--SHOCKED--that anyone else's education might be superior to the United States'!

How so? Because of testing comparisons? Doesn't count when you compare a compulsory education program with one that requires testing.

As someone in (higher) education, I'll take my US schools any day over an Asian university. No question.

There are some wonderful European and Australian universities, though.

Liberal Elite: The pressure HS students are under there for this test is insane and unlike anything in the west.

Although i admit to laughing when students will only get in cabs that have the number 8 in the plate and it can't have the number 4.

And yet the band "Death Cab for Cutie" sells surprisingly well over there.

/well, maybe not.
//I'm just making things up, you know.

Wants: lazy, corrupt bureaucrat
Gets: terra cotta warrior in the war on terra cotta

We need to have a test similiar to this in the U.S. except the test would determine if you were allowed to vote, drive, breed, etc.

I have a buddy who was sent to take a psychological profiling test and interview to help him advance in his career - 2500 questions, couple of discussions, blah blah blah...

At the end of the process, he drops in to visit me while still fuming about his results: turns out that the tests indicated that he was highly inflexible and very stubborn, which really got him upset - so he then tells me that he sat there for close to 45 minutes arguing with the psychologist, insisting that he was NOT stubborn and that he refused to accept the rest of the test results since it was so obviously flawed...

/I lol'd
//facepalm

silout: I am asian(the brown type)).

That just blew my white-logic.

What is the 'brown' asian?

I tried a GIS but got a lot of naughty pics.

Which was OK by me, actually.

And yet the band "Death Cab for Cutie" sells surprisingly well over there.

Don't be silly. Everyone in Asia knows the best rock band is Michael Learns to Rock.

Wow it's like there's a Zombie Confucius walking around in China making the rules.

Harry Freakstorm is correct. I visit China on a semi-regular basis and have met people who were completely screwed by the gaokao. I.e., their scores were sufficient for them to have gotten into the local university, but because they failed to have connections (aka failed to bribe the right people) they weren't accepted. This is allowed to happened because there is "flexibility" built into the system which is suppose to allow minimum quotas of minorities and locals to enter into university. In practice it means that money and social status are big contributing forces to where a student ends up. (What else is new?)

The article also doesn't mention that universities are allowed to bypass the gaokao system and offer admissions to students without a gaokao score. Although, granted, such spots are rare.

BlorfMaster: silout: I am asian(the brown type)).

That just blew my white-logic.

What is the 'brown' asian?

I tried a GIS but got a lot of naughty pics.

Which was OK by me, actually.

Cambodians, Filipinos etc.

/I'm filipino so I approve this message.