The first exam subject was—sight-reading.
This exam primarily tested the candidates' ability to read music, their pitch accuracy, control of rhythm and tempo, and musical expressiveness.
The format was simple. All candidates entered the examination room in order, drew a random piece of sheet music, made brief preparations, and then performed on the spot.
Compared with instrumental subjects that could be prepared in advance, sight-reading was entirely random and demanded on-the-spot performance ability.
As a result, it was often the most stressful and nerve-racking part for music students.
Just as Lin Tian was about to enter the examination room...
He had no idea that something major had just happened.
At that moment,
an unusually despairing mood hung over all the candidates who were preparing.
Everyone sat on pins and needles, each passing second feeling like a year.
Just moments earlier,
one candidate after another had emerged from the classroom after finishing the exam,
their faces utterly dejected.
There were even some well-known top students from training institutions among them.
Every sigh dealt a crushing blow to all the candidates waiting behind them.
As more and more people came out,
many began to realize that something seemed wrong!
"How was it? Was the question difficult?"
One candidate had barely stepped out of the classroom before being swiftly surrounded by friends.
Before long, the candidate wore a miserable expression and poured out their grievances.
"I don't know about the other questions, but the piece I drew was simply inhuman! It was completely incomprehensible!"
"The difficulty is that high this year?!"
His friends were quickly dumbfounded.
Even if the random sight-reading material was obscure, its difficulty level was generally kept within an appropriate range.
Could it be... that this year's provincial unified exam had changed its system?
"You'll know when you go in."