What is High-Stakes Test

In this chapter, the author explores the long-term washback effects of taking the nationwide university entrance exam (UEE) on his L2 socialization. He scrutinizes how he used his agency to break away from such effects in his later life. His theoretical framework incorporates L2 socialization theory and the concept of “desire” in TESOL. Methodologically, he employs critical autoethnography of socialization. The findings reveal that his L2 socialization was shaped by studying for and being taught to the test (aka the UEE), which greatly helped him earn a place at a top-notch university yet created many obstacles in his undergraduate studies and professional life. The findings further showed that the UEE's format was, to some extent, egalitarian in that it provided high schoolers from low socio-economic status families with the opportunity to study in prestigious universities.