The foreign college entrance examination is not easy! This country's exam can be called the "world's most difficult" college entrance examination | students | exam

On June 7th, 2023, the Chinese college entrance examination officially kicked off. One of the most important exams in life is destined to be an unforgettable experience for the vast majority of students.

"Wishing everyone all the best in the college entrance examination!" On the day before the exam, famous football star Beckham also sent his blessings to Chinese students.

In fact, various countries have selection systems similar to China's college entrance examination, and some countries compete fiercely in the college entrance examination. For example, in South Korea, students use "nuclear warfare" to describe this crucial exam; The Indian college entrance examination can be considered the "most difficult exam in the world". What exactly does the national college entrance examination look like? Let's take a look together!

South Korea: The college entrance examination is a "nuclear battle"

The full name of the Korean college entrance examination is the "University Learning Ability Examination", which is usually held in mid November each year. Candidates need to complete 5 subjects within a day, and some Korean students have described this exam as a "nuclear battle".

On the day of the college entrance examination, the entire South Korea was on high alert. Most companies will postpone working hours to ensure smooth transportation. During the English listening exam, except for emergency flights, aircraft takeoff and landing must be suspended, and aircraft passing through airspace must ensure a flight altitude of over 3000 meters.

In addition, on the eve of the exam, relatives, friends, and younger students of the candidates will also send various blessings and gifts. The most common gifts are maltose and Glutinous rice cakes with strong stickiness. I hope the examinees can "stick to the university" and not fall behind.

According to reports, in April 2023, the ruling party and government of South Korea reached a consensus to extend the retention period of records related to major campus violence in the files of perpetrators of violence, and to link the records to the "college entrance examination".

Japan: places greater emphasis on thinking and judgment

The university entrance examination and enrollment system in Japan is not a one size fits all system, adopting a combination of national unified proposition examination and independent proposition enrollment by various universities. The national unified college entrance examination can basically be understood as a Japanese style college entrance examination.

Starting from 2021, Japan will implement reforms. Although the method of setting questions for the college entrance examination remains unchanged, the types of questions will place more emphasis on thinking and judgment than in the past.

USA: De standardization and digitization

The SAT and ACT exams are both known as the "American College Entrance Examination". They are not only one of the admission requirements for American universities, but also the main basis for university scholarships. The two have differences in question setting institutions, exam composition, question types, scoring criteria, and exam dates, but their role and effectiveness are the same when applying to prestigious universities in the United States.

However, according to Forbes, since 2020, an increasing number of American universities, including Ivy League schools, have no longer made standardized test scores for SAT or ACT mandatory, but have turned to "exam optional" admissions. In March 2023, Columbia University in the United States announced that it would transform "exam options" into a permanent policy.

In addition, the SAT exam is undergoing a digital transformation, with candidates using electronic devices to participate in the exam and allowing the use of calculators throughout the math section. According to reports, the United States will transition to the digital format of SAT starting from 2024, and international students will take the lead in taking the exam in the new format in 2023.

France: Philosophy is the "first hurdle"

The French college entrance examination, which takes place in June every year, has a history of over 200 years. It was first established by Napoleon I in 1808, and the first exam at that time was philosophy. Nowadays, philosophy is a compulsory course for French high school students and the first hurdle of the college entrance examination. Candidates need to complete an article on a philosophical topic within 4 hours.

In 2022, the philosophy exam questions for different types of high schools in France include "Can artistic practice change the world?" "Does freedom mean not obeying anyone?" "An analysis of the text excerpt from the French mathematician Cournot's work" On the Foundations of Our Cognition and the Characteristics of Philosophical Criticism ".".

Russia: Multiple subjects, Chinese included in the college entrance examination

There are many subjects in the Russian college entrance examination, with a total of 15 exam subjects. Mathematics and Russian are mandatory subjects, while the other two subjects need to be selected from geography, literature, history, informatics, physics, chemistry, biology, foreign languages, and other subjects.

In 2019, Russia included the Chinese language subject in the national unified examination for the first time, making it the fifth language available for candidates to choose from. At that time, the average score of the Chinese language exam was 62.5 points, and one graduate scored a perfect score of 100 points in Chinese.

In addition to Russia, countries such as Belarus and Ireland have also included Chinese as a subject in the college entrance examination.

Brazil: the second largest country in the world in terms of scale, comparable to the "national campaign"

The full name of the Brazilian National College Entrance Examination (ENEM), also known as the National Secondary Education Level Test, is usually held in November each year. The exam results are one of the important criteria for Brazilian universities to admit students. The ENEM exam, except for writing, is a multiple-choice test that includes all courses learned in high school, such as mathematics, biology, geography, history, foreign languages, etc.

The threshold for the ENEM exam is very low, only 15 years old and those with a high school education can participate in the exam. It can be said that the whole nation is on the rise, and the number of applicants can reach several million.

India: "The World's Hardest Exam"

At present, India implements a unified education system of "5+3+2+2", which includes 5 years of primary school, 3 years of advanced primary school, 2 years of junior high school, and 2 years of high school. Due to its large population, the competition for India's college entrance examination is extremely fierce, and it is even considered the "most difficult exam in the world".

In the Bollywood movie "The Three Idiots Make a fuss over Bollywood", the principal always tirelessly says in front of new students, "Every year, 400000 students apply to the Royal Academy of Engineering, and only 200 can pass." This to some extent reflects the intense competition in India's "college entrance examination".

Amit Agrawal, a professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Mumbai campus of the Indian Institute of Technology, a top university in India, once said, "It's really difficult to get into the Indian Institute of Technology, as its admission rate is almost below 2%."