There are a few exams in the world notorious for their difficulty. You might have heard of the California Bar Exam, considered the most difficult bar exam in the United States. Mensa, the organization of individuals whose IQ must be within the upper two percent of the general population, also gives out a brain-racking exam. And if you are a fan of Korean drama, you might have heard of the suneung (an equivalent of the CSAT in Korea), which has taken on an identity in and of itself, with the whole country pausing for a single day as thousands of high school students sitting for the exam in the hopes that they could get scores good enough to enter their dream universities.
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But nothing can quite compare with China’s Gao Kao and civil service exam, both of which go all the way back to an ancient Chinese institution called Keju, or the imperial civil service exam. Though it sounds similarly like the Japanese monstrosities of mythical proportions, the Keju was a different beast in its own right. It was a sign of prestige in ancient China, as only 400 in roughly 1 million examinees get through to the final round of tests, and even then, only very few eventually receive their degrees. Nobility coveted the Keju as most, if not all, the prime ministers finished at the top of the Keju.
Despite the prestige and benefits conferred on someone who passed the Keju, the journey toward completion was a grueling one. The test was based solely on memorization of the Confucian classics, which meant thousands upon thousands of characters and phrases. No wonder only those with the highest mental fortitude and capacity were able to pass it, and eventually become the leaders of the nation. They had definitely succeeded in building a strong nation, however, at what cost? Yasheng Huang explores the impacts of the Keju in Chinese society today in his article at Aeon.
(Image credit: Qiu Ying/Wikimedia Commons)
Source: neatorama