Imagine an entrance exam so big that construction work stops and busy streets go completely quiet, that is the Gaokao, China massive college entrance test. The most recent Gaokao was held from June 7 to June 10, 2026, where a huge 12.9 million students appeared.
The basic criteria to take this exam is completing high school. It is the main way for Chinese students to enter domestic universities. Because it only happens once a year, the next Gaokao is scheduled to start on June 7, 2027. If a student performs poorly, there are no quick retakes; they must wait a whole year to try again.
The Gaokao is famous worldwide for its extremely strict rules. Students are heavily checked, and items like mobile phones, smartwatches, and any communication gadgets are completely banned inside the testing centers. Breaking these rules leads to very serious punishments.
When it comes to the marking scheme, the total score is usually 750 marks. The test mostly uses a "3+1+2" system. This means all students must take three core subjects: Mathematics, Chinese, and a foreign language (usually English). Then, they choose extra subjects like Physics, History, or Chemistry. Similar to Indian exams like JEE or NEET, competition is fierce, but here, this single score alone decides admission into top colleges based purely on nationwide merit.
