Revisiting the Exam Hell

Abstract In this introduction to the special forum “Revisiting the Exam Hell,” the authors will briefly review the relationship between meritocracy and college admission in East Asia, the major changes in college admission in the region, and the social context shaping college admission in the last few decades. By doing so, they will identify emerging questions concerning meritocracy, inequality, and college admission in the region that the essays in this forum collectively seek to answer.