Visa Exams?

I have come across 4 people now that have had to take Visa exams, something previoulsy unknow to me.

They have to answer questions about Chinese and world culture, fill in a personality questionaire and then write an essay about the difference between the old and young Chinese.

All 4 said it was quite tough and they would never have done it without "help".

Does anyone know anything more about this?

A couple of years ago some provinces were trialing an online psychological questionnaire, together with a cultural questionnaire.  The final part of the test was an essay question.  I "took" this once myself, I wouldn't describe it as difficult and I don't think anyone cares about the result.  

One of my colleagues copied and pasted the first Google result she found for the essay title into the field (some partially related nonesense from a newspaper I think).  Nobody called her on it.  

The general opinion going round at the time was that this was not a part of the visa process in any official capacity but more a "research project" to see if there could be a test for foreign workers which would predict whether or not they would like being in China.  As I say, this was just an opinion rather than anything based in fact, but everyone I know was told about the "test" after they had already been given their RPs, so...

I think it is merely Chinese Govt officials playing silly buggers. Like demanding a chest X-Ray when applying for Visa because we ask the Chinese to do it, simply because China still has occassional outbreaks of TB. I cannot imagine any Chinese Govt official scoring or even reading such tests. According to my students, they have to do something similar when applying for a US visa.

bizarre  I've never heard of this before - was this for a Z visa?

I have taken it though I did not bother with the essay. I was not asked to do it. Without google I would have scored roughly a little above appalling. It is not for the visa itself, I believe it is for your FEC. Actually, since it seems most are never asked to take this 'test' that it has zero meaning. Here I should insert the usual disclaimer about rules varying on any number of factors. Also, there is not actual identification process. With the info any employer will have about you they can simply bang out the test in 10 minutes without you ever knowing.

Everyone I know in Suzhou has to take it. The results aren't important unless you maybe score badly on the personality test.

I have taken it twice now, I scored 93% without even using Google

Useless knowledge is my thing

still puzzled -

there's a personality test and a 'culture' general knowledge test?

could anybody give examples of what sort of Qs are asked?

you complete the answers at home and then bring them in?

this could be a valuable resource for people applying in the future - I'd be a bit freaked out if I was asked to do this without ever having heard of it b4

We had a thread about this when it initially cropped up and I had to do it a couple of years ago, and believe I have to do it again for my new job.  It's a bit silly.

It was full of Chinglish + grammar and spelling mistakes, and highlights from the last time included (multiple choice) questions including "who is the president of the USA" with no 'Barack Obama' option, "What is the largest island in China?" (Hint, it's not Hainan!), and so on...

..they also conveniently harvested email addresses, passport numbers etc at the same time....

..they also conveniently harvested email addresses, passport numbers etc at the same time....

...and did what with them exactly?

Well, not sure...I seem to recall that if you clicked through some of the links on the original test site you ended up at the web-page of a shady-looking but apparently state sponsored recruitment agency, and that set some alarm bells off with me at the time...e.g. was the whole thing just an elaborate front to drum up business for some cadre's cousin's recruitment business?  ...maybe just a wee bit paranoid!

It's 5am, you are

A: Still asleep
B: Still awake
C: Up early because you work early
D: Walking backwards down the street in your pyjamas