I just read that article, and it was almost scary. Heartbreaking, actually, to see how far the students and parents went for the students' futures. I've heard about that test, but that was still surprising. Also-
Quote
The school�s fixation on raising its gaokao success rate � its biggest selling point � means that teachers work most intensively to lift marginal students past the minimum scores required for second- or third-tier universities. �Their focus is to get everybody above the line,� Xu says. �But if you�ve got good-enough scores to pass, they stop paying attention.�... �With all this studying, the kids� brains become rigid,� he said. �They know how to take a test, but they can�t think for themselves.�
Sound eerily familiar?
However, this reminds me of an article I read that said many Chinese and Asian immigrant parents hothouse their children at higher rates than others because they don't fully realize their kids can have a good life without an Ivy League college - no one told them how the system works, or else the mentality, understandably, is still there. Obviously not the only reason, but a compelling one.