Early June in China is a crucial time for families with high school students, as it is the Gaokao – the annual Chinese college entrance examination.

Starting on June 7, the intense exam period lasts for two to four days, depending on the particular province. This year, 12.91 million students took part in the Gaokao – 980,000 more than last year, and the most in the history of the Gaokao.

For the first time since the pandemic, face masks were no longer necessary for students stepping into exam venues. But electronic devices – including phones and smartwatches – were still strictly forbidden. 

Cheating during the Gaokao could get a student into serious trouble, from the cancellation of qualification to legal punishment. 

On Gaokao days, the whole of society is mobilized to help students. There are usually several rounds of security checks on the exam venues, emergency medical assistance needs to be in place, and police will be deployed for protection and traffic coordination around the venues. 

Every year, there are stories of policemen and taxi drivers offering free rides to students running late for their exams.

Why is the exam so important?

In China, the nine-year compulsory education from primary school to high school is funded by the government. After those nine years, Gaokao allows the opportunity to gain admission into college or universities for higher education.

The admission rate via Gaokao has increased from 4 percent in 1977, when the exam was resumed, to 85 percent last year. However, as in other exams around the world, students are also competing for the limited seats at the best universities and colleges.  

For instance, China's top two universities, Peking University and Tsinghua University, only enrolled 6,624 out of the 11.93 million students who participated in Gaokao in 2022.

As the marks of the exam are the only standard of enrolling students, Gaokao provides the students with a fair chance of altering the course of their lives, especially those from the underdeveloped areas. Getting into an elite university could also mean better chances of employment and higher payment after graduation.

Most of the Chinese parents invest heavily in the education of their children, and Gaokao is the time to reap that harvest. During the two or three days of Gaokao, many Chinese parents can be seen waiting for their kids outside the exam venue. Some even book a hotel near the venue.

Trending topics: How hard is it?

Gaokao subjects include mathematics, Chinese language, a foreign language (usually English), and a comprehensive exam of other subjects, depending on which topics the pupil studied during high school.

Every year, during the days of the exam, Gaokao-related topics take Chinese social media by storm. For those who have already passed the exam, it is a time of sending best wishes, reminders or simply nostalgia towards youth. 

The questions on the exam papers are also top trends of the day. For instance, this year, the mathematics exam paper is much discussed for being too hard, and some commentators even gave it a shot by solving the questions. Exam papers of English, history and physics have also appeared among the most search hashtags of the day. 

But as the exams finish in most regions by the end of June 8, most students have now started to enjoy their summer vacations – before their final marks are unveiled.

Would you want to take the exam?

Video reporter: Li Jianhua

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