BEIJING-Seven prestigious universities in China announced Sunday that they would begin using the
same independent exam -besides the national one -to test students hoping to gain entrance to them in
2011.
The seven are Peking University, Beihang University, Beijing Normal University, Nankai University,
Fudan University, Xiamen University and Hong Kong University.
Students who want to gain entrance to any of the seven universities will only have to sit one
independent exam, according to the joint announcement.
"This will help lighten tile students' load, otherwise they must take several exams for different
universities,"said the announcement.
Passing the exam could result in more than one interview chance, giving the students more
opportunities to choose their favorite universities.
China' s college entrance exam system is undergoing reform as universities aim to select students
based on independent criteria rather than just using the results of the national exam.
In 2003, Peking
U