Chapter 8 – Copying Other People’s Answers

Chapter 8 – Copying Other People's Answers

The Administrative Aptitude Test (AAT) was designed to assess candidates' potential abilities rather than their specific knowledge. It consisted of approximately 135 multiple-choice questions, and was a closed-book test with a 2-hour duration from 9 am to 11 am.

In Room 026, the examiner had outlined the rules before distributing the test papers and answer sheets. Dong Xuebing took a deep breath, praying that the questions would be manageable.

The first few questions were straightforward, reminiscent of problems he had practiced. Dong Xuebing felt confident as he tackled these early questions, but the difficulty increased sharply. By questions 6 to 10, he was only guessing. His anxiety grew as he struggled through questions 33 to 47, feeling less certain with each one.

As time ticked away, Dong Xuebing became increasingly desperate. He marked 45 questions on his answer sheet that he was unsure about, hoping he could guess correctly. The remaining questions, he estimated he was 70% sure of.

With 15 minutes left, many candidates had already put down their pencils, showing various signs of stress. Dong Xuebing, feeling the pressure, decided to act. He marked the uncertain questions on his sheet and prepared to make his move.

The middle-aged examiner noticed Dong Xuebing's excessive markings and approached him. "You're not supposed to write on the answer sheet. The machine won't detect your answers. Erase them immediately."

Dong Xuebing, feeling a surge of panic, abruptly stood up, startling everyone. Ignoring the examiner's protests, he grabbed his answer sheet and bolted out of the room.

Shouts of confusion and frustration filled the air. "What is he doing?"

"Stop! You're still in the middle of your test!"

Examiners rushed to contain the situation, with one running down the corridor shouting for assistance. Meanwhile, Dong Xuebing had already reached the third classroom, where Xiao Dong was seated. Without a word, Dong Xuebing kicked open the door and snatched Xiao Dong's answer sheet, leaving everyone in shock.

Xiao Dong, stunned, stammered, "What are you doing?"

Dong Xuebing replied coldly, "I warned you to be careful with your answers."

The young female examiners in the room were paralyzed by the scene. They yelled, "Which room are you from? Put the answer sheet down!"

Xiao Dong attempted to retrieve his sheet but was overpowered by Dong Xuebing, who sprinted out of the room. He leaped through an open window and ran toward the empty sports field, comparing the answers with Xiao Dong's as he went.

"Stop him!" shouted the security and workers who had caught up with him.

Ignoring their commands, Dong Xuebing continued to memorize the answers. He was tackled and pinned to the ground, his escape thwarted. Amidst the chaos, the examiners decided to disqualify him and call the police.

Xiao Dong, catching up, asked anxiously, "Are my results still valid? He's the one who stole my answers."

Dong Xuebing, pinned and in pain, gritted his teeth. Despite the commotion, he managed to finish reading the last of the answers and shouted, "Back!"

Time rewound to a moment earlier in Room 026. Dong Xuebing was still seated, sweating and anxious. The examiner reminded him not to write on the answer sheet. Dong Xuebing quickly began erasing his markings and shading in the answers as accurately as he could remember.

In the past week, Dong Xuebing had trained his memory specifically for this moment. He recalled and shaded in the answers as fast as possible, using mnemonic techniques to remember sequences of letters. He managed to transcribe over 30 answers accurately, using tricks to recall the rest.

Two minutes later, Dong Xuebing finished copying all the answers from Xiao Dong's sheet. If Xiao Dong had indeed achieved near-perfect scores in previous exams, Dong Xuebing's test results would likely be high. Combining those answers with his own confident responses, Dong Xuebing felt a twisted sense of success.

Cheating had succeeded, but the victory came with a heavy cost.