Xiao Liu was extremely nervous as he stood in line on January 8 to sit the College English Test-4 (CET-4) exam, which every university student in the mainland must pass to get a degree. But it wasn't the test that gave Liu the jitters.
The college senior - who had passed the exam two years earlier - was in the line that day to take the exam for one of his gemer (friends). His only fear was that his new fake ID card might not fool the test monitors.
Mr Liu is what's known in Chinese as a qiangshou, or hired gun. Their services can be engaged for just about any test in China, including the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and even the Chinese civil service and accountants' exams.
As exams approach, schools around the country are plastered with advertisements for qiangshou. Students say the notices are even found in dormitory toilets. 'I urgently need someone to help me pass the TOEFL exam,' said a handwritten note posted on a wall at the China Communication University. 'If I pass, I am willing to pay well.' The paper contained a mobile phone number, but no name.
But with school officials quick to tear down such advertisements, the internet has become the main forum for arranging the services, usually via college bulletin boards. Students often have more than one mobile phone number, and so initial plans are often made anonymously via text message.
'A lot of people become qiangshou because they think it's an easy way to make money,' said Zhu Li, a senior majoring in English at Capital Normal University. A fluent English speaker, Ms Zhu said she had been approached several times by classmates to take English exams for them, some offering as much as 1,000 yuan. 'I told them, 'I don't know how to do this. I'm afraid.''