Drips To ‘Stay Focused' & More: All About Gao Kao, World's Toughest Exam — 10x Harder Than...
Every June, life in China nearly comes to a standstill as millions of students appear for the Gao Kao, the national college entrance exam. Known to be one of the toughest exams in the world, it can shape a student's entire future.
This year, over 13.35 million students appeared for Gao Kao, China's national college entrance exam, slightly fewer than the 13.42 million who took it last year. The scale of Gao Kao is staggering. By comparison, in India last year, around 16.9 lakh students appeared for the CBSE Class 12 exams, and approximately 12.58 lakh took the JEE Mains. This means the number of Gao Kao candidates is nearly ten times higher than those sitting for India's most competitive exams.
What Is Gao Kao?
The Gao Kao is China's national-level entrance test for college admissions. It is compulsory for any final-year high school student aiming to get into a Chinese university. Students have to list their preferred colleges before the exam. If they do not meet a college's required score, they are automatically considered for the next one on their list.
There is no age limit or restriction on how many times one can attempt the exam. The test is spread over two to three days and lasts about nine hours in total.
If a student doesn't qualify for any of the universities they listed, they must appear for the exam again in the following academic year.
What Does The Exam Include?
The paper's structure can differ across provinces, but usually it includes Chinese literature, Mathematics and a foreign language (mostly English). Students from science backgrounds take additional papers in Physics, Chemistry and Biology, while arts students write tests in History, Politics and Geography. Some candidates even opt for other foreign languages like French, German, Japanese, Russian or Spanish.
The test combines multiple-choice and essay-style questions. The scores are combined into one final total. This score determines the student's eligibility for various universities.
How Far Students Go To Prepare For Gao Kao
The pressure surrounding Gao Kao is so intense that students are willing to go to extreme lengths to stay prepared. A recent Instagram video shows how some students are seen spending their entire days and nights inside classrooms. Meals are passed through school gates as they rarely leave the premises.
In many schools, 12-hour study sessions are routine. They just get one day off a week, yet some students use that time to study even more. Some even take IV drips to stay alert, while female students take medication to delay their periods until the exam gets over.
These intense scenes show how serious the exam is and how much students are willing to sacrifice for it.
Some cities impose special traffic rules and halt construction near test sites to maintain silence. Students are offered free metro rides and taxi services to reach centres on time.
At some centres, AI-powered cameras are installed to catch anything unusual and prevent cheating. Drones and other surveillance tools are also used.
Criticism
While Gao Kao is seen as a fair way to select students for university, it has also faced criticism. Many students deal with high levels of stress, anxiety and pressure while preparing for the exam. In many families, the exam decides not just a student's education but also their career and social status.
Students from lower-income backgrounds often struggle more as they may not afford private coaching or extra classes. Some experts also say the exam focuses more on memorising information rather than overall learning or practical skills.
One case that recently caught attention was that of Xiaokai, a student from Hunan province who scored 575 out of 750 in the exam. While this is a good score, his parents were unhappy because it may not qualify him for entry into one of China's prestigious '985" universities, a network of 39 elite institutions known for their academic excellence and competitive admissions. They cut off his financial support and locked him out of the house. Xiaokai later approached local media for help. He is now waiting for his final admission results.
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July 22, 2025, 10:00 IST
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