During my high school years in Singapore, I loved physical education (PE) classes. I wasn’t very academic, and would much rather have picked up a badminton racket than a textbook. So I didn’t have any questions or complaints when we were required to take a standardized PE test every year called the NAPFA (National Physical Fitness Award/Assessment). For those who failed any component, they would have to train every day during recess until the second PE exam a month or so later. They would then continue to retake the exam as many times as needed until they passed.
Now, 20 years later, I’m hearing that obesity rates in China are at an all-time high, and that to combat this trend, the government had considered making local PE exams part of the national gaokao (the notorious national college entrance exams that local students spend their young lives preparing for). I knew that the local public schools had standardized PE tests, but I was curious about the state of physical education in international schools such as the one my own child is enrolled in. Armed with that curiosity, I went ahead and found three volunteers from top international schools in Beijing who were willing to attempt the local PE exam.
Scan the QR code to watch the video and find out if international school students can pass the local PE exam standards!
I would like to point out that a comparison of the local PE exam standards and my own Singaporean NAPFA test renders the latter quite mild. While we were filming the video, the international students were informed mostly of the NAPFA test standards, which is why student Isabella stopped attempting more sit-ups after she had done 14 – because in Singapore, you only needed to do 13 sit-ups to pass when you’re 13 years old. Here’s a small cross-sectional comparison just so you can get a glimpse of the rigorous fitness standards both countries place on their high schoolers.
NAPFA test standards for males in secondary, or high school
Beijing PE exam standards for males from 9 years onwards
Another noteworthy point would be the evolution of these respective tests over the years. The local PE exams have forgone their multiple-component requirements in favor of requiring only the endurance run, and they now offer a range of various sporting events, from basketball to badminton, in which students only have to prove competency in one or two of their choosing, in order to pass. What’s more, in Singapore, the NAPFA test is now only required once every two years, rather than yearly.
What about you? Do you think standardized tests in PE are necessary for our youth?
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Images: Vivienne Tseng-Rush, Unsplash
