<p>It seems someone can beat any test where there is one, even the Scholastic Aptitude Test. But, no one yet is able to beat the holistic test.</p>
<p>Exactly. All tests are beatable, but you can tell more about someone from a half-hour interview than you can from a thick stack of essays, test scores, and recommendation letters. And there’s no beating a proper interview.</p>
<p>What I mean is that overall I think China doesn’t want its citizens leaving China but it would be very difficult for China’s gov’t to forbid all people to leave the country for whatever reasons people have. They can however make it very difficult to leave. So since most of its citizens are very poor, using money as the tool to limit people leaving is very easy. That’s not to say that all wealthy people work for the gov’t lol. But spending $6000 USD on a SAT course is just impossible for the typical Chinese family. </p>
<p>I wonder if there are statistics which state how many international students are Chinese citizens and hold a passport from China. Does the ~100k students include students that are ethnically Chinese but are from other countries? </p>
<p>The reason why I think China doesn’t want its citizens to leave is because there are such strict laws which prohibit citizens from even vacationing outside China even if it’s only Hong Kong.</p>
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<p>Really? You have no idea about what you’re talking.</p>
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<p>You seem to doubt that there could be that many people from a poor country as international students here. The biggest piece of evidence that the figure does NOT include non-nationals is that Taiwan is listed separately. If it were just “ethnically Chinese,” then they’d be together. (Even staunch Taiwanese Independence advocates will very grudgingly allow that they are ‘ethnically’ Chinese.)</p>
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<p>Why would you think that this did not happen … years ago? </p>
<p>The organized cheating that is rampant and culturally accepted abroad has transcended our borders a long time ago, with the additional attraction that students here have better resources. </p>
<p>The College Board, ETS, GMAC, and others are well aware of the problems, but have no other option than to rely on technology AND trustworthy people to administer and maintain the integrity of the tests. The latter being almost impossible to achieve in a number of countries.</p>
<p>By the way, it would be a mistake to consider this a “Chinese” problem only.</p>
<p>How many times in the US did you have to apply to go on vacation in another country? I’m not talking about applying for a passport either. I mean actually apply for the vacation itself.</p>
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<p>LAW OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
ON THE CONTROL OF THE EXIT AND ENTRY OF CITIZENS</p>
<p>(Adopted at the 13th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the
Sixth National People’s Congress, promulgated by Order No. 32 of the
President of the People’s Republic of China on November 22, 1985, and
effective as of February 1, 1986)</p>
<p>CHAPTER II EXIT FROM THE COUNTRY</p>
<p>[Article 5] Chinese citizens who desire to leave the country for private purposes shall apply to the public security organs of the city or county in which their residence is registered. Approval shall be granted except in cases prescribed in Article 8 of this Law.</p>
<p>The public security organs shall decide, within a specified time, whether to approve or disapprove the citizens’ applications for leaving the country for private purposes, and shall notify the applicants accordingly.</p>
<p>[Article 6] In the case of Chinese citizens leaving the country on official business, the units sending them abroad shall apply to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the local foreign affairs department authorized by the ministry for the citizens’ exit certificates and acquire the certificates for them.</p>
<p>PROVISIONAL MEASURES FOR THE CONTROL OF CHINESE
CITIZENS ENTERING AND LEAVING THE REGIONS OF HONG
KONG AND MACAO FOR PERSONAL REASONS</p>
<p>(Approved 3 December 1986 by the State Council and Promulgated 25
December 1986 by the Ministry of Public Security)</p>
<p>CHAPTER II - DOMESTIC CHINESE CITIZENS TRAVELLING TO HONG KONG OR MACAO</p>
<p>[Article 5] In order to protect and maintain the economic prosperity and social stability of Hong Kong and Macao, examination and approval of applications by any domestic Chinese citizen who wishes, for personal reasons, to take up residence in Hong Kong or Macao shall be implemented on the basis of fixed quotas.</p>
<p>[Article 6] Any domestic Chinese citizen who travels to Hong Kong or Macao for personal reasons shall submit an application to the exit-entry control department of the local municipal or county public security bureau where the applicant has household registration.</p>
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<p>You have never seen any of the plethora of job interview coaching books?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Quoting 1986 regulations for the exit of Chinese citizens is just silly.</p></li>
<li><p>Remember that the US is far from the only major recipient of Chinese as foreign students, there were 155,000 (over all levels of education) in Australia in 2009.</p></li>
<li><p>“Holistic” admission can be gamed too, start a club, volunteer some hours, use guanxi to get a nice sounding internship, or just fake it by wild exaggeration (and that’s the American way).</p></li>
<li><p>Funny that the main criticism of China here seems to be that their coaching of SAT is too good, when your little Johnny goes to a Kaplan course it’s all fair.</p></li>
<li><p>SAT is not offered in China itself due to security issues, not because the Chinese government fears losing a few students overseas.</p></li>
</ol>
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<p>Is that really a surprise? As soon as someone perceived as an “outsider” plays by the rules and “wins”, there is pressure to change the rules.</p>
<p>Is it really hard to believe that China has regulations on vacations outside mainland lol?
I suppose since I have family friends there it’s just the norm to me. Believe what you wish since I’d prefer not to debate about it. </p>
<p>Back to the original topic, I completely agree with ucbalumnus. I think flipping sections is wrong and it’s cheating but everything else the company has cracked about the SAT is still following rules. This just proves that the SAT is really just a game that can be hacked. I guess it can prove some level of motivation. A student must have the drive to memorize 100 words/day in order to survive the New Oriental program.</p>
<p>“More than 57 million Chinese tourists are expected to travel abroad in 2011, spending a staggering $55 billion, the China Tourism Academy, a think tank to the tourism authorities, said in a report released on Monday.”, [China</a> Travel Trends Blog Archive China numbers: Big and getting much bigger](<a href=“Welcome chinatraveltrends.com - BlueHost.com”>Welcome chinatraveltrends.com - BlueHost.com)</p>
<p>And this is in 2011, not in 1986… Some 57 M Chinese made it through the supposedly strict vacation rules. It is about 160 % of the Californian population, or about 45 % of the Japanese population, although only about 4 % of the Chinese population. Each of them spending an average of about US$ 1 K, only for leisure. So at least this many Chinese can seemingly afford to pay US$ 6 K for a SAT course, if desired for their college-bound kids, let alone “merely” 127,628 Chinese students enrolled in the US.</p>
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<p>Something that has not remained unnoticed by several generations of immigrants that have elevated the gaming of the admission process to an art form. </p>
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<p>There is, however, little comparison possible between what is offered to Little Johnny at one of the inefficient Kaplan course and what is offered at their foreign counterpart. There is a quite a difference between maximizing the natural abilities of students through adequate coaching and elevating a score well beyond the natural abilities through various methods that range from organized cheating to outright corruption.</p>
<p>For instance, if you were to ask the Chinese company how many released SAT they have, the answer will be … ALL of THEM. You may get the same answer at Kaplan or PR headquarters. But, if you were to ask the same question about UNRELEASED tests, the Chinese would still answer ALL of THEM. </p>
<p>Students who spend small fortunes at the type of outfit named in the article do know what they are buying, and it is a lot more than an invitation to work hard.</p>
<p>“Always cheat = always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.”, USMC Rules For Gun Fighting. :-)</p>
<p>Getting a visa to the US from China is very difficult. Just speak with a current PRC citizen and you’ll get to know the firsthand experience.</p>
<p>
Destined for Wall Street, I see.</p>
<p>“WASHINGTON Roger Dow, president and CEO of the US Travel Association is well aware that about 215 million Chinese can afford the visit to the US and that they do spend an average of $7,200 per trip to the US more than tourists from any other country… Dow also knows that the current restricted visa policy and limited visas services in China do not help his cause. He is lobbying to the (US) federal government to simplify the visa procedures for Chinese tourists,… According to the UN World Travel Organization(UNWTO), China is the fastest growing outbound travel market in the world and will have about 100 million outbound tourists by 2020. It was only in December 2007 that the US and China signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate Chinese group leisure travel from China to the US. Since the US was among to last countries to promote group leisure travel from China, the association believes that the US has some catching up to do…”, [China</a> Travel Trends Blog Archive US travel chief lobbies for Chinese tourists](<a href=“Welcome chinatraveltrends.com - BlueHost.com”>Welcome chinatraveltrends.com - BlueHost.com)</p>
<p>Apparently in the recent years, the Chinese government isn’t worried about letting Chinese traveling outbound, but rather, the US government has been worried about Chinese traveling inbound, which resulted in the restricted visa policy.</p>
<p>““Destined for Wall Street, I see.””</p>
<p>Far more widespread than just Wall Street. Please google “'if you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying” and see what you got. :-)</p>
<p>I couldn’t care less what a bunch of sociopaths and me-me-me egotists quote on the 'net. There is no honor in cheating, while there can be honor in failing. That’s always been good enough for me. I prefer “Do the right thing”. And I can shave without wanting to cut my own throat. 
that’s a good thing, right? Better than a few points on a test, I’d say.</p>
<p>Oh, as far as gaming the test? I’m all for that. If they are dumb enough to put out a test that easily gamed, it’s their fault. And the fault of those folks relying on the test to the exclusion of other data. But getting un-released test copies to develop their “strategies”? Or encouraging students “flippin’”? That crosses the line. But I’m all for prep and gaming and taking every legit advantage. That’s just part of the admissions game they have set up.</p>