Candidates from across the country sat for this year's national lawyers qualification examination over the weekend, competing for a 10 to one chance of passing the test.
Statistics from the Ministry of Justice indicate that more than 215,000 people took the two-day exam. Sources from the ministry's center in charge of the annual event said that the 21,500 candidates with the highest marks will be regarded as having passed. This is different from the past when candidates needed to get more than 240 to pass the exam.
"Under this new system, the designers of the test paper need not strain their brains to decide how difficult the paper should be," said an official with the center who declined to be named. "We can now avoid the situation we found ourselves in before when we had to recruit more when the test was easier and fewer when it was more difficult."
"This means we will be able to recruit potential lawyers in a more scientific and balanced way," he added.
The change is included in a reform package adopted this year, the most important in the 15-year history of the exam.
As part of the reforms, the center has started work on a database of the questions that have appeared in the exam. In addition members of the committee responsible for designing the question paper will be changed every year.
Prior to this year's exam, the ministry issued regulations on the make-up of the paper, such as the subjects to be included, and on its invigilation.
The national lawyers qualification examination is the first step for would-be lawyers in China, who also need to serve as interns before they start to practise law.
The number of candidates for the test has been on the rise lately, breaking records on a yearly basis. According to ministry statistics, there were 18.6 percent more candidates this year than last.
Gao Changli, minister of justice, attributed the increase to the government's stress on the rule of law and the increasing demand for legal services in China.
"I believe the profession will continue to appeal to people in the near future," said Gao. "The number of candidates for the examination will keep on increasing."
The legal system was virtually defunct in China during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). The national lawyers qualification examination started in 1986, seven years after China restored its legal system. According to official figures, a total of 120,000 people have so far passed the examination.
(China Daily 10/23/2000)
