Just how difficult are the essays and fill-in-the-blank questions? We’ve compiled some real questions that have appeared on previous tests. Lasting 10 hours over two or three days of grueling multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank and essay questions, the exam is something students spend 12 years studying for in hopes of getting admission to their university of choice. Scored on a scale of 750 points with questions varying from province to province, the gaokao generally includes tests of Chinese literature, mathematics and a foreign language (in most cases English). The lone criterion for admission into Chinese universities, the gaokao is a high-stakes exam on which students’ entire future depends.
Each year in the beginning of June, millions of students take the gaokao, China’s National College Entrance Examination. This week, more than 10 million will take the exam across China.
