Form Six students who took the “Joint Admission Examination for Macao Four Higher Education Institutions (JAE)” last Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday were asked by The Macau Post Daily yesterday how they felt about their exams, with most noting that they found mathematics to be the hardest subject and that they have received enough preparation from their schools.
All the interviewees were male students aged 17 and 18 from various schools near Praça do Tap Seac. The street interviews were conducted in the neighbourhood.
According to an introductory page from the University of Macau (UM), the JAE is a joint admission exam organised by UM, Macao Polytechnic University (MPU), Macau Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) and Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST). The exams comprise four subjects: Chinese, Portuguese, English, and mathematics.
Students surnamed Lai and Lam both said that they were confident in their exam performance and entering their preferred university, but remarked that mathematics was the hardest subject. Commenting on how their school prepared them, Lai said that aside from learning some in class, they also had tutorial sessions, mock exams and mock quizzes. Lam added that the exams were also discussed in class while both Chinese and English subjects had in-class mock tests.
Meanwhile, another student, Ho, described mathematics as the hardest part of the JAE, but that his school had already provided “many mock tests every week”, in addition to tutorial sessions on various subjects.
Another student, also surnamed Ho, added that their school had trained them for the JAE after the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday, saying that their school had provided free tutoring. He said that MUST would be his first choice among the universities, adding that he was “somewhat” confident about getting good exam results. Both pointed out that they felt anxious during the first exam of the JAE.
A student surnamed Cheok, who hopes to study at UM, said that he was jittery during the exam as mathematics and English are hard for him. However, he pointed out that his school had provided him with “sufficient resources” for it.
Meanwhile, another student surnamed Leong added that he was not nervous as he had already been recommended to Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) in Guangzhou and only took the exam as he applied for UM as well, adding that his school had provided a lot of homework and mock tests to prepare for the JAE.
Students walk home after school yesterday near Jardim da Vitória with the students in yellow uniforms among the interviewees. Photo: Victor Lam
