After meeting with educational groups, the Ministry of Education has made a decision, indicating that the practice test to help 12 graders prepare for their Basic Competency Test will be conducted during regular school hours with a maximum of two times each semester.

Third-year junior high school students recently completed their monthly exams, and will be sitting for the first Basic Competence Test for Junior High School Students mock exam of the semester in three weeks.

Taipei Municipal Jen-Ai Junior High School currently holds three mock exams per semester, or six times per school year.

Under the Ministry of Education's new policy, which was implemented on Wednesday, mock exams can only be administered to third-year junior high school students a maximum of two times per semester, or four times per school year.

The ministry also reversed an earlier decision and will now allow the exams to be conducted during regular school hours after the first week of every semester.

According to one teacher, pressure on students won't be alleviated unless the entrance examination system is abolished.