Episode Details

Millions appeared for this year's national postgraduate entrance examination over the weekend, but the number of candidates taking the test has been declining over the past three years, a trend that experts said reflects a more rational and deliberate approach among students toward further education.

周末，数百万考生参加了今年的全国硕士研究生招生考试。但近三年来，报考人数持续下降。专家表示，这一趋势反映出学生在是否继续深造的问题上，正采取更加理性、审慎的态度。

The message is clear, the expert said. Today's students are thinking twice before committing to further studies, instead making choices that are more calculated, calm and self-aware than before.
专家指出，这一信号十分明确：当下的学生在决定是否继续深造前会反复权衡，其选择较以往更加理性、冷静，也更具自我认知。

According to the Ministry of Education, 3.43 million candidates appeared for the examination this year, down from 3.88 million last year and continuing a downward trend since the 2023 peak of 4.74 million.
教育部数据显示，今年共有343万人参加研究生招生考试，低于去年的388万人，自2023年474万人的峰值以来持续回落。

Experts said the sustained decrease reflects a cooling of what was once a "postgraduate exam fever", with students becoming more rational and less inclined to follow the crowd.
专家表示，报考人数的持续下降意味着曾经的“考研热”正在降温，学生不再盲目跟风，而是趋于理性选择。

Wang Shutao, a professor at Xiamen University's Institute of Education, told China Youth Daily that in the past, students were either swept along by the crowd or sought a master's degree as a default option. "Now, students are weighing postgraduate studies against other career paths with clearer personal and professional goals in mind."
厦门大学教育研究院教授王树涛在接受《中国青年报》采访时表示，过去不少学生要么随大流报考研究生，要么将攻读硕士视为“默认选项”。而如今，学生在更明确的个人发展和职业目标指引下，将考研与其他职业路径进行理性比较。

Chen Zhiwen, editor-in-chief of education website EOL, noted that this is the first significant three-year decline since the start of the century. "Some of the impulsive applicants have stepped back," he said, attributing the drop partly to students refraining from blindly following the herd.
教育网站中国在线教育主编陈志文指出，这是本世纪以来首次出现连续三年的明显下降。他表示，一部分冲动型考生已经“退场”，人数回落在一定程度上源于学生不再盲目从众。

Experts said the sustained decrease in the number of examinees is not merely a quantitative change but also an opportunity for structural optimization and quality enhancement in postgraduate education.
专家认为，考研人数的持续下降不仅是数量变化，更为研究生教育结构优化和质量提升提供了契机。

Hu Xiangdong, a professor at Central China Normal University's measurement and evaluation research center, said: "The adjustment over the past three years is not just a fluctuation in numbers. It represents a critical turning point for post