"Daughter, Cheer Up, Mom and Dad Will Take the Exam Together" Parents Are the Only Ones Passing - A Story Inside

"Feel the Pressure" Parents Encourage Graduate School Exam
Scoring Higher Than Their Child and Getting Accepted to Prestigious Chongqing University

A story about a Chinese exam taker who failed while their parents passed the graduate school entrance exam has become a hot topic.

On the 7th (local time), according to the Hong Kong media South China Morning Post, a 24-year-old Chinese woman named Chen encouraged her parents to take the graduate school entrance exam to experience the pressure felt by exam takers.

A story about a Chinese exam candidate who failed but whose parents were admitted to China's top prestigious university has become a hot topic. The photo is unrelated to the article content. [Photo by Yonhap News]

After graduating from university, Chen worked for two years before preparing for the graduate school entrance exam at her parents' suggestion. The graduate school entrance exam in China is the same for all graduate schools, similar to the Korean College Scholastic Ability Test. With a quota of 760,000 graduate students, last year 4.74 million people competed, making it highly competitive.

Chen suggested that her parents also take the exam to feel the pressure she was experiencing. Her parents agreed to take the exam together, thinking they could support her by accompanying her inside the exam hall.

Chen explained through China's social networking service (SNS) Xiaohongshu, "It was to show that students these days are under more study pressure than before," and added, "My parents decided to take on the challenge to boost my confidence."

Chen and her parents took the exam in December last year, and as a result, Chen scored around 300 out of 500 points. This score was below the acceptance line for the graduate school she wanted, so she ultimately failed.

However, Chen's 48-year-old father scored 386 points, and her 46-year-old mother scored over 390 points. Both applied to Chongqing University, considered one of China's top prestigious universities, and passed the interview, allowing them to enroll.

Chen said, "I might have to work to cover my parents' tuition fees."

After this story spread, Chinese netizens commented, "Earn money for your parents' tuition," and "If your parents tell you to study, you won't have any excuse."