Online Interviewing
A second round graduate school entrance reopened on May 25th.They have been disrupted by the SARS outbreak for more than a month.Education ministery statistics show that about a million students in China are waiting for the test.Off this, approximately 40000 would have to travel to the school they are applying for in a different city.The first set of exams is usually written while the second were invovled in the interview.Because of the SARS,travel was just interrupted and the second part,this year,has taken a new look.Many graduate school are trying out distant-interviewing,using telephones and the Internet.The Beijing Broadcast Institute resorted to telephone communications.This meant several interviewees sitting near speakerphone so that they can take part freely in the questioning.According to YGB of the Institute graduate school, about 700 students were recruited in this way.Over 800 applicants were on the shot list, Y said , that in additional test is given when they enter graduate school in December.China University ofPolitic and Law has decided to use the Internet.The school vice president ZY, says they will ask question that has to be answered with a paper within a certain time.At Beijing Language and Culture University,140 applicants were getting exam papers through the post and taking opening exams. Other universities use mixture of these.
No matter which method is used, the universities must make the test as strict as possible. If the exam is done over the phone, the interview is recorded in case there is a question of cheating later on."The distant-interviewing technique is not satisfying as the face-to-face interview,"said one teacher who is responsible for interviews."So some schools have decided to give some ways to the first round exam", she explained.