National Exam Replaced With Single Question: ‘Do You Know Someone on the Inside?’
National exams are out, referrals are in. Indonesia’s new education reform goes viral with its one-question test.
JAKARTA — Indonesia announced today that the traditional national exam will be replaced entirely with a single question: “Do you know someone on the inside?”
Officials argue that the new exam better reflects real-world success metrics, pointing to corporate hiring practices, political appointments, and the thriving Teman-Teman referral economy that powers sectors nationwide.
“We’re tired of students memorizing math formulas that they’ll never use. Instead, we’re teaching them the skills that matter when it counts,” declared spokesperson, Prof. Dr. Teguh Santoso during a press briefing in Jakarta. “If you can answer this question with confidence and proof, you won’t need any other score.”
According to the Ministry, this move is backed by a decade of social research showing that knowing someone, anywhere in government, business, or family circles, predicts future success far better than math scores, science proficiency, or national GPA.
Critics have questioned the integrity of the new system, but proponents insist that simulated data from workplace outcomes and bureaucratic hiring trends clearly show that personal connections have a statistically significant correlation with job placement, promotions, and exclusive access to limited resources.
In high schools across Central Java, Jakarta, and beyond, students are reportedly trading friendship bracelets, and distant cousin introductions like baseball cards in anticipation of the exam.
“I used to worry about algebra, but now I’m networking with everyone in my WhatsApp contacts,” said 17-year-old student Adi Pratama at SMA Negeri 1 Semarang. “I even asked my aunt to introduce me to her friend who knows someone in the Ministry of Communications.”
Parents have also embraced the change. A parent-teacher association in Bandung announced that annual potlucks will now include mandatory exchange of social capital forms, where parents swap contact lists like currency.
Education experts note a surge in kids signing up for Networking 101 courses being offered online across social media platforms.
Leading universities in Indonesia have already updated their admissions policies to align with the new test. Under the new Referral Entry System (RES), applicants will be assessed by a panel that reviews the strength, closeness, and social “value” of their connections.
A representative from Universitas Indonesia stated, “We used to care about test scores and portfolios, now we focus on whether your aunt has dinner with a minister, or your cousin wrote a thesis with a judge’s nephew.”
Major employers have also chimed in, with many companies announcing Referral Bonuses for employees who help new hires “prove someone on the inside.”
Human Resources at PT MegaCorp stated, “We now score candidates on a scale of 0 to 10 referrals. Bonuses increase with level of connection. Real skill? Optional.”
Critics argue this system entrenches nepotism and undermines merit, but officials maintain that merit has always been defined by who you know, and it’s high time the exam caught up with reality.
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