General Scholastic Ability Test
Structure and Format
The General Scholastic Ability Test is the Taiwanese university entrance exam and is organized by the College Entrance Examination Center. The test is administered over two days and five subjects:
The materials cover the first two years of Taiwanese senior high school.
Before GSAT
In 2002, the General Scholastic Ability Test replaced the, and changed Taiwan's primary university admission test since the 1970s. The goal was to reduce the academic pressure by basing it only on JCEE to promote more diversified admission pathways. After these changes, the GSAT became the primary examination to connect with other selections, such as Recommendation and Screening, and Application Admission. It allows universities to consider broader abilities of students beyond only on exam performance. These changed Taiwan's educational policy to multiple evaluation criteria.
The GSAT has heavy psychological pressure on high school students because of its role in shaping Taiwanese students' academic futures. The study by Chao, Sung, and Tseng found that Taiwanese students experience high levels of anxiety related to high-stakes testing.Their research shows that the long preparation for the GSAT can affect students' motivation negatively. Many students spend years attending cram school programs to improve performance, and this causes a more serious competitive atmosphere.
Social and educational context
Besides individual pressure, the GSAT also shows the social and cultural inequalities in Taiwan's education system. Wang and Tai argue that the standardized testing often reinforces the advantages of students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. Families with better financial resources often can afford the higher expenses for tutoring, private schools, or additional test preparation, which shows unequal access to higher education opportunities. From the author's perspective while the GSAT's goal is to provide an objective measure of academic ability. However, it also reflects the social status of Taiwanese society.