New Chinese army recruits will have to undergo psychological exams in the forthcoming nationwide conscription, which begins on Nov. 1, sources from the Ministry of National Defense have said.

The psychological exams will be given to males passing the preliminary physical exams in parts of Beijing City, the provinces of Shaanxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Yunnan, Jiangsu, Henan and Heilongjiang, as well as the Inner Mongolia and Ningxia Hui autonomous regions.

Those undergoing the psychological exams will have to fill out a personality inventory and pass a test of their calculating ability. Both exams will be carried out on paper, while evaluations will be made with computer aid.

The personality evaluation includes 200 questions selected from the well-known MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2) to identify and predict psychological problems of the young conscripts.

Those deemed mentally unfit or psychologically unhealthy will not be allowed to join the army, said an officer in charge of the recruitment.

The officer added that the army will recruit more young people with higher education and technical skills.

China used psychological tests on pilots in the 1960s and later expanded the testing to low-level commanders in the army, military drivers, and cosmonauts in the 1980s.

(Xinhua News Agency November 1, 2002)