Summer has arrived, and the temperature is no longer a major obstacle to getting out of bed. I’ve also been less inclined to laze around in the mornings compared to before.

Originally, I wanted to find a desktop timer app to help plan study and rest periods. On GitHub, I came across ClassIsland, a project that even includes a class schedule feature, making me feel like I’ve returned to my student days.

15:25 Thoughts

I strongly agree with what Teacher Zhengdao said:

We should not create barriers to knowledge, as doing so will only lead to societal inequity, turning exams into a selection process based on wealth rather than merit.

17:44 Taking a shower

For humans, taking a shower can, to some extent, be considered a reset action. After showering, people tend to feel much more refreshed and comfortable.

Mom called me again today. When I answered, I said, “What’s up?”
“Have you cooked and eaten?” she asked.
“I’m not coming,” I replied.
“I’m asking if you’ve cooked and eaten,” she repeated.
I said no.
“I bought some ribs today, but no one came for lunch,” she added.
“I’m not coming.”
……

After reaching an agreement, Mom told me to accept the money Dad had transferred to me yesterday. I said okay.

I know that accepting it will make them feel better and more at ease.

21:32 Eye discomfort

I’ve been staring at screens for too long today—almost the entire day watching study videos.

22:16 Why do people feel uneasy in life?

When we find ourselves in an unfamiliar environment or interacting with unfamiliar people, why do we feel uneasy? I tried to answer this question to help my mom adapt more quickly to her new lifestyle. I asked a few AIs, and the response from ChatGPT-o4-mini best captured the complex logic behind this feeling. Here’s the answer:

• Evolution and Physiological Mechanisms
  • “Fear of the Unknown” Instinct: From an evolutionary perspective, unfamiliar environments or objects may conceal dangers (predators, natural disasters, etc.). The brain automatically labels the “unfamiliar” as a potential threat, activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, releasing cortisol and adrenaline, and triggering a stress response that makes people alert and uneasy.
• Cognitive Load and Uncertainty
  • Lack of Pre-existing “Scripts”: In daily life, we rely on past experiences to quickly invoke “social scripts” (how to greet, how to maintain a conversation, etc.). In unfamiliar settings, there are no ready-made scripts to follow, forcing the brain to expend extra cognitive resources to observe, judge, and decide, leading to fatigue and anxiety.
  • Increased Uncertainty: Not knowing the preferences of others or the rules of the situation, nor the consequences of one’s actions, amplifies tension.
• Social Psychology and Self-Evaluation
  • Fear of Negative Judgment: When interacting with unfamiliar people, individuals often worry that their words or actions will be met with disapproval, rejection, or ridicule. This “social anxiety” further magnifies feelings of unease.
  • Reduced Self-Efficacy: When one feels unable to control the situation, their sense of security wavers, making them more prone to tension and discomfort.
• Individual Differences
  • Personality Traits: For example, introverts are naturally more sensitive to external stimuli and may feel more pressure in unfamiliar settings, while those high in “novelty-seeking” may enjoy exploring the unknown.
  • Past Experiences: Negative experiences in unfamiliar environments can reinforce anxiety about such situations.

Avoiding unfamiliar environments and reducing interactions with unfamiliar people is not a solution—unless we can return to our comfort zones and never encounter unfamiliar people again.

On the contrary, the only way to eliminate this unease is to bravely confront this instinctive fear, turning the unfamiliar into the familiar and the strange into the known. At the same time, maintaining confidence, not fearing negative judgment or uncertainty, and rediscovering self-efficacy through personal interests can help us regain self-affirmation.

In this process, we will rewrite our “social scripts,” enabling us to achieve greater accomplishments and reshape our inherent perceptions.

走了一段路后失主联系我，还说她在哪儿哪儿。我说我要忙着赶路，我在卖糯米饭这里等你，你跑快点，这条路有一家很出名的卖水城特色的糯米饭。
然后就收获了一连串的谢谢。

16:35 筛选了一波省事业单位的岗位

害，错过了云南省考还挺可惜的。

20:50 看了半个小时抖音

看短视频很容易看超时，看完总是脑袋空空，眼睛难受。

Guizhou 2023, March 13, 2025

Score: $\frac {110-29}{110}\times {100}=73.63$

This set of questions felt manageable, but I ran out of time. Lessons from the mistakes:

1. If multiple options seem correct, the majority are usually right;
2. Helicobacter pylori leads to decreased acidity and chronic gastritis;
3. Public opinion can melt metal—a saying from “Strategies of the Warring States: Wei Strategy I.” Originally describing the power of public opinion, it now refers to the confusion caused by many voices;
4. Vulgar customs refer to societal habits, often with a negative connotation;
5. When setting up equations, use as few variables as possible, choosing the most basic ones;
6. Pay attention to whether the question asks for an affirmative or negative answer;
7. When asked to refute high-salt diets, focus on the harms of high salt; don’t choose the benefits of low salt, as they are not directly relevant;
8. In data analysis, always check the time, subject, and what is being asked; read every word carefully, preferably aloud.

Guizhou 2022 “Administrative Aptitude Test,” March 13, 2025

Score: $\frac {115-47}{115}\times {100}=58.26$

This set was a disaster.

1. Be cautious with words like inside/outside, up/down, high/low, as they can be traps;
2. White Dew is the solar term with the largest day-night temperature difference;
3. For questions asking how many statements are correct, uncertain ones are usually correct, and often all are correct;
4. Review all options for non-calculation questions;
5. In verbal comprehension, always grasp the meaning after a转折 (transition) word;
6. Distinguish between contradictory and opposing relationships. Motion and stillness, right and wrong, cannot coexist—only 0 and 1. Other relationships like size, quantity, and weight have other values;
7. Many people with hearing loss prefer to use headphones continuously and set the volume above 80 decibels. Is it because they can’t hear that they need to turn up the volume?

Guizhou 2021 Provincial Exam “Administrative Aptitude Test,” March 12, 2025

Score: $\frac {115-33}{115}\times {100}=71.30$

A significant improvement from the morning, but still unstable, especially in common sense questions. The error rate was 2/3. I still haven’t found the trick.
Analysis:

1. Unfamiliar with solar terms, need to study them as they are frequently tested;
2. Spiders are not insects; they belong to the class Arachnida;
3. In text structure, if a problem is raised, a solution must follow;
4. Arithmetic sequence summation formula;
5. Don’t panic in calculation questions; find the correct relationships and set up the equations.

Guizhou 2017 Provincial Exam “Administrative Aptitude Test,” March 12, 2025

Score: $\frac {120-52}{120}\times {100}=56.67$

1. In verbal comprehension, focus on key words and转折 (transition) words like but;
2. Be cautious with options not mentioned; don’t over-interpret. For example, cultural refinement does not equate to the ability to appreciate art;
3. In breaking down the whole into parts, “parts” refers to scattered elements, not nothing;
4. Work is part of life, but not indispensable;
5. To refute a point, first understand the point being refuted;
6. Terms like增幅 (increase) and变幅 (change) refer to growth rates;
7. In quantitative relationships, pay attention to the time frame;
8. Carefully check details like output, origin, yield per mu, sales, time, etc. Don’t panic.

Guizhou 2008 Civil Service Exam “Administrative Aptitude Test”

Membership is required to check answers, so I skipped it.

Guizhou 2009 Civil Service Exam “Administrative Aptitude Test”

Correct answers: 69
Percentage score: 49.2%
The questions were simple, but many mistakes were due to carelessness and not fully reading the questions. More practice is needed. Scoring only half on such simple questions is unacceptable for the actual exam.

Guizhou 2010 Civil Service Exam “Administrative Aptitude Test”

Score:
$\frac {125-39}{125}\times {150}=103.2$
Percentage score: 68.8%

Analysis:

1. Many quantitative relationship questions were not carefully thought through; equations that could be expanded were not, and angle calculations for clock hands were not precise;
2. In verbal comprehension, I didn’t think from the examiner’s perspective or as a civil servant, leading to biased understanding;
3. Failed to grasp key points and keywords in verbal comprehension;
4. Insufficient practice in graphical reasoning; chaotic graphs require counting points, lines, surfaces, and colors; also consider parallel lines, right angles, and straight/curved line differences. Remember: Chaotic elements test counting!
5. Didn’t understand concepts like山峰 (mountain peaks), color harmony, and police violence;
6. Misunderstood concepts like anxiety and emergency incidents;
7. Many questions were not fully reviewed; I jumped to conclusions upon seeing what seemed correct;
8. Quantitative relationships were not calculated; relying on intuition led to errors. Rough estimates are unreliable.

Guizhou 2018 Civil Service “Administrative Aptitude Test”

Accuracy: $\frac {115-43} {115} =62.6$ points

Mistake analysis:

1. Too many errors in verbal comprehension; need improvement;
2. Data analysis calculations were not careful; must calculate, not guess;
3. Not bad overall, considering the many distractions;
4. Increase and increase to are distinct; check if the base needs to be added;
5. In verbal comprehension, focus on the topic sentence’s keywords to get most questions right;
6. For graphical questions, try to verify by sketching, especially for visual questions;
7. Chaotic elements test counting! (No. 69);
8. Circle the subject in conclusions to prevent concept substitution;
9. Pay attention to否定 (negative) words like not belonging or not;
10. Mark difficult questions, skip them first, and allocate sufficient time later to avoid losing points.

Guizhou 2019 Civil Service “Administrative Aptitude Test”

Accuracy: $\frac {115-42} {115} =62.61$ points

Poor performance, especially in common sense questions, with an accuracy rate of only $\frac {2}{15}=13.3%$.

1. Running performance is better with shorter times, unlike long jump or high jump;
2. Some quantitative relationship questions are difficult; learn to prioritize and let go;
3. In analogical reasoning, prioritize options of the same category;

Guizhou 2020 Civil Service “Administrative Aptitude Test”

Accuracy: $\frac {115-33} {115} =71.30$ points

A significant improvement from the last attempt, scoring above 70, which is promising for interviews. Mistakes were mainly in common sense and one data analysis question. Data analysis needs further study; some quantitative relationship questions were challenging and require redoing. Analysis:

1. A, B, and C bought 100 yuan worth of goods at the supermarket…
2. Pythagorean theorem, triangle side length ratio calculations, usually without tricky angles;
3. Think rationally, solve step by step; geometry questions are generally simple;
4. In data analysis, first check the time, subject, and other basic information;

Essay Writing

Guizhou 2022, Paper A

Experience:

1. Article titles can directly use the theme word, combined with a verb to form a verb-object structure, ensuring the topic is not deviated;
2. Commentary is about praising people;
3. At the national level,守本分 (staying true to one’s role) means maintaining the real economy;
4. Expanding on a single theme word involves: defining, explaining its role, describing the current situation, identifying shortcomings, suggesting remedies, and concluding with “only then.”

Guizhou 2021, Paper A

Experience:

1. Deeply understand whether the question asks for reasons, countermeasures, current situations, etc.; clarity leads to easier answers;
2. For underlined sentences, first explain your understanding, then expand with material from the text;
3. For speech outlines, if the audience is clear, include a salutation, followed by an introduction, body, and conclusion;
4. Use the sentence provided in the essay question as the opening, elaborating on it to introduce the discussion.

Guizhou 2020, Paper A

Experience:

1. When discussing understanding, always center on the sentence to be understood, then expand with material;
2. For speech outlines, use background, content, and conclusion to role-play;
3. In essays discussing understanding of a statement, always circle the sentence’s theme, ensuring it is not omitted, and focus the writing tightly around the key subject.

Guizhou 2019, Paper A

Q1

Based on Material 1, discuss how the meaning of “背二歌” (a type of folk song) has changed with the times.

Q2

Based on the given materials, analyze the similarities in tourism development among three villages and summarize their respective successful experiences.
A: (General—Specific)

Q3

Write a speech outline introducing PA Township’s “四访” (four visits) work experience.
A: Outline (background, content/experience, conclusion/achievements)

Q4

In worldly matters, “stillness” offers many “ifs,” but only “movement” brings the hope of “but.”
A:

1. Stillness and movement are a dialectical unity; the title can serve as the introduction;
2. What is stillness, and what is its use;
3. What is movement, and what is its use;
4. The interplay and integration of stillness and movement;
5. Conclusion,升华 (elevate) the theme.

Question Collection

Module Guide—Quantitative Relationships

P 57 (2021 Shandong) A certain product comes in small and large boxes. A large box contains 400 items. Zhang and Wang start producing this product simultaneously. After producing one small and one large box, Zhang produces 50 more items than Wang. If Wang’s efficiency increases by 100% and they produce another large box together, Wang produces 50 more items than Zhang in total. How many items are in a small box?

A、50
B、100
C、150
D、200

Common Sense Judgment—Guessing Strategies

Civil service exams have a strong political background. Familiarity with this background provides direction, even if the questions are unfamiliar.

1. Questions involving the nation, the Party, or the people are always people-centric, aiming for a better future, and reflecting national pride;

2. The twin options are prone to setting traps;