Gaokao Exam: Beginning on Sunday, China’s Gaokao 2026 exam saw around 1.29 million registrations this year. For some, today is the last day of Gaokao, but in the 29 provincial regions that have adopted the new exam system, students will continue to take subject exams until Tuesday or Wednesday, according to a report by CGTN.
Each year, more than 10 million Chinese students take the Gaokao – the gruelling exam that determines university admission, the Harvard University Press stated. With only 500,000 spots at the nation’s top 100 universities, a single point on the test can make or break a student’s future, it added.
What Is Gaokao?
The Gaokao is China’s national college entrance exam, a test so consequential that scores alone determine which universities students can attend. According to the Harvard University Press, each province receives quotas from the central government and sets its own cutoff lines accordingly.
“To reach that day, students endure twelve years of preparation marked by hundreds and even thousands of practice exams. At its core, China’s education system is an exam system, and the gaokao is its culminating trial,” it added.
“How The Gaokao Shapes China”
Economists Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li in their book, “The Highest Exam: How the Gaokao Shapes China,” pointed out that the Gaokao functions as a vast centralised tournament: a single score can determine not only a young person’s educational trajectory but also their future career, income, and even social standing. “Families pour years of savings and countless hours of effort into preparation, believing, often rightly, that this exam can change the course of a life” the authors highlighted.
How China Prepares For Gaokao
According to CGTN, the transportation departments have urged candidates to leave early and use public transport to avoid heavy traffic. The public is encouraged to travel outside peak hours to help ease congestion, and drivers are asked to give way to vehicles transporting students to exam sites.
Traffic police, medical personnel and volunteers will continue to support the students and provide all-around assistance, CGTN added.
In a social media post on X, China Central Television (CCTV) said:
“A total of 348,000 exam rooms have been set up at 7,981 sites across the country, all monitored by the command centre for the crucial exam at the National Education Examinations Authority.”
China’s annual national college entrance exam, known as the gaokao in Chinese, began on June 7, with 12.9 million test-takers sitting the exam nationwide this year.
A total of 348,000 exam rooms have been set up at 7,981 sites across the country, all monitored by the command… pic.twitter.com/zQcjaY8rra
— CCTV+ (@CCTV_Plus) June 7, 2026
Gulf Alert on X shared a video of the country coming together for its students with great enthusiasm and celebration.
The world’s toughest entrance examination, the Gaokao, is about to begin. The entire city has come together for its students with great enthusiasm and celebration, as if it were the biggest festival of the year. pic.twitter.com/4xsaXhGQi8
— Gulf Alert (@Gulfalert) June 6, 2026
Another user on X shared pictures of China pausing today: constructions paused, honking banned, traffic diverted, police on high alert, calling it “the ultimate culmination of 12 years of grueling, non-stop study”.
🤫 SHH… CHINA IS ON PAUSE TODAY! 🇨🇳🛑
Ever seen a country of 1.4 billion people completely quiet down? Today is that day.
Millions of students are sitting for the Gaokao (高考)—the legendary, ultra-tough national college entrance examination. It’s not just a test; it’s a… pic.twitter.com/ienIXHV6Nv
— Aman singh (@AmansinghS5912) June 8, 2026
On May 26, a user on X shared a video of a high school teacher organising a hotpot party for his entire class.
✨🇨🇳With 10 days left until China’s Gaokao (college entrance exam), a high school teacher organized a hotpot party for his entire class. The teacher even served as a “senior waiter,” refilling soup and adding seasonings for the students, aiming to help them relax and boost their… pic.twitter.com/tf1iyRfIxQ
— 🇨🇳XuZhenqing徐祯卿 (@XueJia24682) May 26, 2026
According to a report by the AFP News Agency, education authorities are on high alert each year and have sought to crack down on cheating, this year explicitly warning students not to bring smart glasses or smart watches into test sites that are surveilled by video.
After twelve years of schooling, the gaokao functions as the final match of a national competition. Students’ scores are compared to peers in their province, and admissions are determined by rank.
