New rules for China's national college entrance exam, the "gaokao," pose a challenge to the test's reputation for fairness. The rule, adopted by some 13 provincial regions in China ahead of this year's gaokao in early June, stipulates that gaokao applicants may receive extra points if they are "excellent in morality" or have a "good Samaritan" record. In China, gaokao results are the major assessment standard for a student's application for college. The exam saw some 9 million test takers in 2013. For years, China has had a policy to award extra gaokao points to students who are children of returned overseas Chinese, ethnic minorities and winners of major sports events and mathematics or science competitions, among other groups. However, new rules emphasize awarding points for morality while minimizing excessive points in other categories. The move has triggered strong debate among the public on fairness in the big exam. Many have pointed out that morality is hard to measure, and some worry that students or their parents may forge a record of good deeds to gain precious bonus points. According to education authorities in Beijing and the provinces of Zhejiang and Sichuan, the new changes will allow local test takers to gain as many as 20 extra points for good morals.