Gaokao: China's National College Entrance Exam

siegecrossbow said:

In a sense, it is almost reminiscent of the Imperial Entrance Exams. Luckily I didn't have to deal with it since I came to the states when I was nine.

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That is true up to 1993 which is the last time the state assigned jobs to graduates and the graduates were obliged to take the assignment. In essence, state assigning jobs makes the graduates a state employee just like the old officialdom in Imperial times.

Since 1993, it became personal and commercial. Students pay (at least partial) tuitions and find jobs by themselves. Graduates have nothing to do with state employment.

Today (since 2002?), the equivalent to Imperial Exam is "Civil Servant Exam"/"公务员考试", the applicants are meant to be a government staff in state agencies if they pass the exam. Usually a University degree is a prerequisite.

taxiya said:

BTW, your giving up the full? scholarship to the university and going to the Navy instead will surprise every Chinese. I think a Chinese in this case will take the university and join the armed forces afterwards if they want, a graduate from a civilian university (in China) is regarded as commissioned officer just like from a military college, of course an extra basic military training will be needed. Of course, I am not judging your choice.

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I know my dad was surprised. I was tired of school and wanted to travel. Not realizing at the time I could have joined the USN AFTER I graduated from Ohio State and become an officer.. oh well. I cannot change the past.

I was fortunate enough not having to take the test (coming to the States when I was a Freshman in high school). However, I watched my sister going through it ( I was 12 at the time). It was horrifying. Like any loving sibling, I took the opportunity and made sure that I messed with her as much as I could And to this day, she still uses my behavior during the time as an example of why one should never have younger brothers

In addition to my sister, my wife also took the test (she came to the US after her freshman year in college). Her mom was a high school chemistry teacher for decades (in charge of senior classes for most of her tenure) before she retired.

So some of my conclusions based on my observation of my sister and stories from my wife and her mom.

1) Gaokao is not SAT. Unlike the SAT with math and English, Gaokao is usually consist of many subjects, which varies from time to time and province to province. It still confuses me to this day. So I'm not going to go into the details. However, Chinese, English, math, physics, chemistry, biology seem to be the common subjects.

Because of the number of subjects involved, the test usually takes many days, from 3 to 5 days ( usually 2 subjects each day). Again, I have no clue of the exact length now...

2). Gaokao is much much harder. Unlike SAT, which tests base line aptitude (I took SAT and did pretty well), Gaokao, in my understanding, is most likely designed to challenge your upper limit in knowledge and problem solving skills.

This is also why it is so taunting for the students. The good comparison would be the Hell's week at the end of the Navy SEAL recruitment. All the questions on the tests have been designed to find and challenge your limit. all that emotion that you see in photos tells you how scared the students are.

3). The implications of the Gaokao is huge. Gaokao is not just a single test, but an accumulation of all your hard work in all 3 years of high school. One test and one test only. This one test decides your entire future. Colleges don't care how you have done in any of the previous tests that you have taken before this test. They only look at your combined score of your Gaokao. If you misfire, you are done!

vesicles said:

So some of my conclusions based on my observation of my sister and stories from my wife and her mom.

1) Gaokao is not SAT. Unlike the SAT with math and English, Gaokao is usually consist of many subjects, which varies from time to time and province to province. It still confuses me to this day. So I'm not going to go into the details. However, Chinese, English, math, physics, chemistry, biology seem to be the common subjects.

Because of the number of subjects involved, the test usually takes many days, from 3 to 5 days ( usually 2 subjects each day). Again, I have no clue of the exact length now...

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The subjects, therefor the number of tests, are reduced some years ago. I haven't checked, but I think it is four now depending on whether one goes to Science/Engineering or Literacy/Art.

And yes, Gaokao is like the final battle but also a beginning for some lucky winners. The implication is huge. It is extremely tough because the low number of entrance to college, or high "casualties" in the battle. Hyper competition in China in general due to the limited resources. That is one reason for many Chinese looking for opportunities abroad.

And nowadays, the preparation has extended down to junior high or elementary schools. I once saw some mathematic subjects that my nephew is studying. They were from . I was saying WTF?

I wonder how well university graduates would do at it?

solarz said:

I wonder how well university graduates would do at it?

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From what I heard, taking Gaokao sounds a lot like competing a sport at a high level. You need to maintain an edge to do it. Once you are done, you stop practicing. Then you lose that physical and mental edge. So in that sense, almost no college graduates in China will be able to do what they themselves had done at Gaokao.

vesicles said:

From what I heard, taking Gaokao sounds a lot like competing a sport at a high level. You need to maintain an edge to do it. Once you are done, you stop practicing. Then you lose that physical and mental edge. So in that sense, almost no college graduates in China will be able to do what they themselves had done at Gaokao.

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That is true according to my limited knowledge of western university students. According to my own limited experience and hearing from Chinese students in Europe, European university students work tougher than their Chinese counterpart IN China. In Europe, getting in is the just the beginning, in China back in my time getting in is the end of the game.

Thanks guys for all the post!

What happens to a student that just can't pass the test? What avenues are open to them? Vocational, military or just a mundane everyday job?

bd popeye said:

Thanks guys for all the post!

What happens to a student that just can't pass the test? What avenues are open to them? Vocational, military or just a mundane everyday job?

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What happens to those who can't pass Gaokao is less clear to me. My guess is all of the above. It's much like what happens to an American high school student who cannot get into college with a bad SAT score and low GPA. You have to figure out what to do next.

In the old days, you would be assigned a job suitable for someone without a college degree. Nowadays with all the social safety net gone, my guess is that you would be on your own. Military is definitely an option, I guess. how that actually works is beyond me...

I do remember that, when I was little, my parents used to scare me and told me that I would have to go and sweep and streets if I didnt study...

49-year-old sits university entrance exam for 20th time
2016-06-07 13:04 Ecns.cn Editor: Mo Hong'e


Liang Shi, 49, is to take the national college entrance exam for the 20th time this year on June 7, 2016. (Photo/Chengdu Economic Daily)

(ECNS) -- Liang Shi, perhaps China's most famous test-taker, sat the national college entrance exam (also known as "gaokao") for the 20th time this year, the Chengdu Economic Daily reported.

Liang, a native of Renshou County in Sichuan Province, took the annual gaokao exam when he was 16, but he did so poorly he was not accepted into any college.

In a subsequent test, he managed to get admitted to a local technical school, but dropped out because he felt he could do better if he retook the test. He has been trying his luck ever since, and this year he sat alongside some 9.4 million other test-takers.

More than a month before the tests on June 7 and June 8, the 49-year-old took additional courses at Nanshan High School in Sichuan's Mianyang City.

He said he changed preparation tactics this year and focused on doing previous test papers, rather than just reading books as he had done in the past. He said he had no idea about how he might have scored this year, according to the report.

Liang scored 417 points last year, 28 points less than the admission benchmark score, with poor performances in mathematics and natural sciences.

Liang said his dream course of study was with the mathematics department of Sichuan University.

"This will be my last attempt. If I fail again, I will stop taking the exam," said Liang.