GETTING listed on the country’s new technology board may not be as simple as companies had hoped, with many filings mired in scrutiny.

The Shanghai exchange has peppered 100 applicants with about 50 questions each on average, asking about everything from share structure to accounting and intellectual property rights, according to statements compiled by Bloomberg.

Until the firms satisfy the exchange on all the points, they can’t proceed with their initial public offerings (IPOs).

While the grilling may ultimately result in higher-quality listings, it cuts against pledges that China’s new Nasdaq-style board would provide simplified vetting, a speedier process and a reduction in red tape.

Many tech board filings received so far lacked sufficient details, contained too much obscure jargon or demonstrated a misunderstanding of the new disclosure-based listing process, the exchange said last month.

“It may seem like the bar has been lowered without approval from regulators, but in fact it demands higher standards of disclosure and transparency,” said Yang Hai, an analyst at Kaiyuan Securities.

“Many Chinese companies aren’t that sophisticated, and it’s a challenge for them.”

Medical device maker Ankon Technologies was asked to disclose details about a reported case of false advertising, while integrated-circuits maker Espressif Systems (Shanghai) was requested to explain why most of its patents were received before 2015 and whether that meant its research and development had reached a bottleneck.

The exact start date for the new technology board remains unknown, and could be affected by the recent ructions in China’s stock market.(SD-Agencies)