49-year-old sits university entrance exam for 20th time

49-year-old Liang Shi prepares for his 20th gaokao in a high school in Mianyang, Sichuan province, on June 3, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

Liang Shi, perhaps China's most famous test-taker, sat the national college entrance exam, also known as "gaokao", for the 20th time this year, the Chengdu Economic Daily reported.

Liang, a native of Renshou county in Southwest China's Sichuan province, took the annual gaokao exam when he was 16, but he did so poorly he was not accepted into any college.

In a subsequent test, he managed to get admitted to a local technical school, but dropped out because he felt he could do better if he retook the test. He has been trying his luck ever since, and this year he sat alongside some 9.4 million other test-takers.

More than a month before the tests on June 7 and June 8, the 49-year-old took additional courses at Nanshan High School in Sichuan's Mianyang city.

He said he changed preparation tactics this year and focused on doing previous test papers, rather than just reading books as he had done in the past. He said he had no idea about how he might have scored this year, according to the report.

Liang scored 417 points last year, 28 points less than the admission benchmark score, with poor performances in mathematics and natural sciences.

Liang said his dream course of study was with the mathematics department of Sichuan University.

"This will be my last attempt. If I fail again, I will stop taking the exam," said Liang.