According to the latest international survey in determining one's ability in different subjects, Taiwanese students are falling behind compared to the score 3 years ago. Out of the 65 countries and regions that participated in the test, students in Shanghai rose to the top, in the field of reading, mathematic, and science.

The Program for International Student Assessment test which began in 2000 with Taiwan joining in 2006 focusing on reading, science and math, saw Taiwan's recent performance drop when compared to 3 years ago.

It is still above OECD standards, indicating an excellent performance, though the international ranking fell with reading falling from 16 to 23 and math falling from number 1 to 5, and science falling the most from 4 to 12.

Taiwan still was at the top category amongst the 65 countries and regions participating in the test,

though compared to three years ago, it is doing less well showing a slight decline.

The Ministry of Education said that the test in March came at a time when students were preparing for Basic Competency Tests.

While Shanghai took first in three areas, neighboring Hong Kong and Singapore had better performance than Taiwan.

The MOE said that this was because these are primarily metropolitan areas, and students sampled in Taiwan include both urban and remote areas which is a more representative sample.