Test-taking apps that pay users for correct answers go viral in China

Mobile apps that allow users to earn money by correctly answering questions have gone viral in China, reports thepaper.cn.

Test-taking apps that reward users with cash for correct answers are booming in popularity in China. [Photo: IC]

App users race against the clock to answer multiple-choice questions. Users who can come up with the right answers for all the questions can share in prize money ranging from about 10 thousand yuan to 2 million yuan.

The apps became popular in China after Wang Sicong, a businessman and only son of Chinese tycoon Wang Jianlin, announced on January 3 that he would give 100 thousand yuan as a prize for test-taking app Chong Ding Da Hui.

Since then, similar apps have ramped up the prize money on offer to attract more users.

One of the online tests had more than one million participants.

"This time the prize money is around 1 million yuan. I will get some prize money if I can answer all these questions correctly," said Beijing native Mrs. Chen. Chen downloaded three test-taking apps and earned 34 yuan for passing four exams in three days.

The largest prize won by a user was over 40,000 yuan.

Users who invite friends to download the test-taking apps get credits that let them make a mistake when answering a question. The boom in the number of app users has been attributed to a drive for credits.

Some issues have emerged regarding the popular apps. Users have complained that app servers have frozen due to too many people playing online at the same time. Tools that help test-takers with the right answers have also appeared on the market. And there are concerns that the security of user's personal information may be at risk, as some apps demand users provide their bank account details so they can access the prize money.

The test-taking apps are kind of advertisement, because questions about sponsored products are included in the exams, explains Li Junhui, a researcher at the University of Political Science and Law. If the apps fail to make their questions more interesting for users, or fail to find a target market with a lasting interest, the boom of online test-taking competitions will be short, added Li.