The United States has always relied more on standardized, especially multiple-choice, tests than other industrial countries, and such reliance has intensified in recent years.

UNESCO: II Part Analytic Section

In 2002, Tepco admitted to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency that it had falsified the results of safety tests on the containment vessel of the No. 1 reactor, which is now one of three reactors that workers are struggling to keep from overheating.

WSJ: Nuclear Issues Put Focus on Japan Regulators

Melamine, an industrial chemical used in plastics and adhesives, mimics the presence of protein in lab tests.

WSJ: China Hopes Melamine Trials Will Restore Trust

Heads and teachers involved in the industrial action by the National Union of Teachers and the National Association of Head Teachers said the tests were not a true reflection of what pupils and schools could do, skewed the curriculum and led to the production of league tables.

BBC: Sats papers prompted more than 35,000 appeals