The Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior High School Students or CAP is an exam for junior high school students in the Republic of China (Taiwan).
The CAP is usually held in the weekend of mid-May by the Ministry of Education Republic of China, creating a standardized test for 9th graders. The Research Center for Psychological and Educational Testing (RCPET) at National Taiwan Normal University is the specific responsible unit.[1] The CAP is an exam for Taiwanese students before going to high school or vocational school, for students, teachers, schools, and parents get to know the students' learning quality. The 2021 CAP was held on 15 and 16 May.[2] The CAP consists of Chinese Language (writing and reading assessment), English (reading and listening assessment), Mathematics (multiple-choice tests and calculation problems), Natural Science (Including: Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Science of Earth) and Social Studies (Including: Geography, History, Personal and Social Study, Politics, Laws, Economics and International Studies)
This is the timetable of CAP. (UTC+8)
The examination is a Criterion-referenced test, which means the number of correct answers and their corresponding ranks would have been set before the examination. For the exam, the results of each subject are divided into "精熟" (grade A) and "基礎" (grade B) and "待加強" (grade C). Grade A means that the student is able to master the course in junior high school; Grade B means that the student has the basic ability of the subject; Grade C means that the student's ability in the subject is lagging behind. In grade A and grade B, each will be divided into three smaller levels based on the number of plus signs, such as A, A+, A++, etc.[3]
The subjects are mainly multiple-choice questions with four choices, and a bit of non-choice questions including composition in Chinese, non-choice questions in mathematics, and English listening test in English. Among them, the composition score of Chinese is based on a grading system, with a full score of 6 and a minimum score of 0. In terms of mathematics, there are two to three non-choice questions, each with a full score of 3, accounting for 15% of the total score of the subject; English listening accounts for 20% of the total score of the subject.
| [4] | Chinese | Englishⁿ | Mathematics | Social Studies | Natural Science | Writing Assessment | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | Listening | |||||||
| Testing time | 70 minutes | 60 minutes | 25 minutes | 80 minutes | 70 minutes | 70 minutes | 50 minutes | |
| Multiple choice questions | 45-50 | 40-45 | 20-30 | 25-30 | 60-70 | 50-60 | 0 | |
| Non-multiple-choice questions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2-3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| ⁿ For 2013 and 2014 CAP, the reading and listening part of the English subject was merged into an 80-minute test. | ||||||||
The CAP consists of 14 testing regions. Examinees could only choose one testing region to register for, usually choosing the region where their junior high school is located.Although the exam questions are unified nationally, the method to calculate their actual scores may vary in different regions.
| Region | Counties and Cities | |
|---|---|---|
| Taipei | Taipei City, New Taipei City, Keelung City | |
| Taoyuan-Lienchiang | Taoyuan City, Lienchiang County | |
| Yilan | Yilan County | |
| Hsinchu-Miaoli | Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County, Miaoli County | |
| Taichung-Nantou | Taichung City, Nantou County | |
| Yunlin | Yunlin County | |
| Changhua | Changhua County | |
| Chiayi | Chiayi City, Chiayi County | |
| Tainan | Tainan City | |
| Pingtung | Pingtung County | |
| Kaohsiung | Kaohsiung City | |
| Hualien | Hualien County | |
| Taitung | Taitung County | |
| Kinmen | Kinmen County |