Shanxi Province Driving School in its enrollment advertisement claimed “Learn to drive quickly, illiterates guaranteed to pass,” attracting many people to come out of curiosity.
Even though the tuition at this school is several times higher than that of ordinary driving schools, many people are willing to pay the price. An undercover investigation by media journalists revealed the secrets behind the school’s promise.
In China, obtaining a driver’s license for a small car requires passing four sequential exams: Subject 1 is a theoretical exam on traffic rules; Subject 2 is a skills test on a closed circuit; Subject 3 is a skills test on the road; Subject 4 is a common sense exam on safe and civilized driving. Subjects 2 and 3, known as the road test, require literacy, which makes it difficult for illiterate individuals to pass.
However, on social media platforms in mainland China, there are numerous accounts promoting the “Yifan Driving School” in Linxian County, Lvliang City, Shanxi Province, with the slogan “Illiterates guaranteed to pass.” An account named “Yifan Driving School” stated: “Yifan Driving School in Linxian County recruits students for motor vehicle driving tests throughout the year, providing a green channel for all four subjects, making it easy for illiterate individuals to pass all four exams.”
The tuition at regular driving schools is generally around three to four thousand Chinese Yuan. However, the registration fee at Yifan Driving School exceeds ten thousand Yuan, with some individuals stating that the price for “passing all four subjects” reaches thirteen thousand Yuan.
In late March, a journalist from the Xinjing News contacted the staff of Yifan Driving School under a prospective applicant’s identity, expressing concerns about not being literate enough to pass the exams. The staff reassured that there was no need to worry about the theoretical exam.
According to Wang, a recruitment officer at Yifan Driving School, applicants must select the first theoretical exam site in Linxian when booking their exam on the traffic management service platform, stating that “it is our driving school’s own exam site.” Additionally, applicants must attend the school’s “pre-exam training session” the day before the test.
It was revealed that the so-called “pre-exam training” actually teaches applicants how to cheat. Some staff members advised candidates that during the computer-based exam, they only need to move the mouse every ten seconds and pretend to answer the questions, even though the mouse is not connected to the computer. As long as the camera captures movement, the system will have someone else answer the questions on your behalf.
A test taker mentioned that during his computer-based exam, his mouse clicks had no effect on the screen cursor initially, indicating that it was not connected to the computer. After a while, he noticed the cursor moving on its own, answering 93 questions out of 100 before stopping. Ten minutes later, the cursor moved again and submitted the answers. The final result displayed that he answered 93 questions correctly, made 1 mistake, scoring 92 out of 100 (90 is the passing mark).
Some students inquired what would happen if they passed Subject 1 but struggled with Subjects 2 and 3. Wang explained that before the Subject 2 exam, students must practice driving in Linxian County, and during the test, a coach will stand on the sidelines and give instructions to help them pass. As for the Subject 3 exam, practicing driving is unnecessary, with a coach sitting in the passenger seat during the test, controlling the outcome – if they want you to pass, you pass; if not, you fail.
Before taking the driving license exam, candidates must also pass a “physical examination.” The journalist found that the local medical examination only conducted checks on height, vision, and color recognition, neglecting other mandatory checks outlined by the Ministry of Public Security, such as hearing, upper limbs, lower limbs, torso, and neck examinations, with the doctor marking all as “normal” on the examination form.
The findings of the undercover investigation were exposed in the media on May 18th. Many social media users expressed concerns that there may be an increasing number of “road killers” due to such practices.