Were the previous basic exams for the Chemical Engineering major closed-book or open-book? 3 hours or 4 hours?

II. Management Model and Answering Methods for Subjects: All professional qualification exams are non-rolling exams; candidates taking the basic exams or specialized exams must pass all subjects within one examination year. The basic exams for all majors are closed-book tests, and candidates are not allowed to bring any reference materials ； The professional examinations for each specialty are open-book exams, allowing candidates to bring various professional codes, reference books, and review manuals published by reputable publishers (for a list of the main codes, standards, and regulations recommended for the professional examinations in each specialty, please refer to Annexes 7-15 attached to this document). Candidates should bring 2B pencils, black ink pens, set squares, erasers, and calculators without sound or text-programming functions when taking the exam, and must answer questions in strict accordance with the instructions for candidates on the first page of the test paper. Draft paper is provided uniformly by the examination site in quantities sufficient for candidates to complete their answers, and it is collected after the exam. Both the “Basic Examination” and the “Specialized Knowledge Examination” consist entirely of objective questions, which are answered on answer sheets. For the \"Professional Examination\" for Level 1 and Level 2 Registered Structural Engineers, as well as the \"Professional Case Examination\" for other specialties, candidates are required to write down their answers and the reasoning process on the exam paper, while also filling in the answer sheet.

I spent almost the entire 2 hours in the afternoon filling out the papers and finishing everything

The professional exam in 2014 lasted three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon; I don’t understand why many people say it was four hours – has it changed now? September 6: 8:00–11:00 – Professional Knowledge Exams (Part 1); 8:00–12:00 – Basic Professional Knowledge Exams (Part 1). 14:00–17:00 – Professional Knowledge Exams (Part 2); 14:00–18:00 – Basic Professional Knowledge Exams (Part 2). September 7: 8:00–11:00 – Case Studies in Various Specialties (Part 1); 8:00–12:00 – Professional Exams for Level 1 and Level 2 Structural Engineers (Part 1). 14:00–17:00 – Case Studies in Various Specialties (Part 2); 14:00–18:00 – Professional Exams for Level 1 and Level 2 Structural Engineers (Part 2)

He was referring to the foundational knowledge of the field, not the professional exams

Uh, why look at past years? Registration is now open; the guidelines are clearly stated there

I wasn’t allowed to hand in my paper early back then; it might vary from place to place