Does China’s National College Entrance Exam Effectively Evaluate Applicants?

Abstract

Based on micro-level student data from one Chinese academic institution, we study the validity of the national college entrance exam from the perspective of student performance in college and employment prospects after graduation. We find that the current college entrance exam could reflect the students’ learning ability to a certain degree, providing a relatively valid evaluation. Demonstration of well-rounded development ability should be an important factor in the evaluation system. Based on our empirical results, we give some suggestions for college entrance exam reform.

Keywords

national college entrance exam / evaluation validity / empirical analysis

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2014 Higher Education Press and Brill