China curbs English test retakers

中国限制英语考试重考生

Round Table China

2025-10-28

22 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

If college English tests were a video game, the CET-4 (College English Test-4) would be entry-level and the CET-6, hero mode. While some players pass and move on, others keep replaying for higher scores to unlock better loot—like jobs or scholarships. So, is this drive for a high score a genuine passion for improvement, or just academic FOMO? / To thank or not to thank AI (14:28)? On the show: Niu Honglin, Steve & Yushan
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • Discussion keeps the world turning.

  • This is Roundtable.

  • If college English tests were a video game, the CET4 might be entry level and the CET6 hero mode.

  • Some players pass once and move on.

  • Others keep replaying, hoping for a higher score to unlock better hoot,

  • like job offers, scholarships.

  • So what do you think about keep taking the same test?

  • Is it genuine passion for improvement or just an academic FOMO?

  • And you say thank you to your AI.

  • Somewhere in a humming data center half a world away,

  • a few thousand servers light up to send back your welcome.

  • Happy to help.

  • It's polite, it's sweet, it's also, according to scientists, surprisingly wasteful.

  • To thank or not to thank AI, that is the question.

  • But now.

  • The CET4 and CET6 exams have long been part of China's higher education DNA,

  • designed to measure English proficiency,

  • but now often acting as a social filter for job markets and academic advancement.

  • Today, as universities begin to limit retakes and emphasize comprehensive English education,

  • we're at an interesting crossroads.