The gaokao is widely considered the most important exam Chinese students will face in their lifetimes. The test can make or break a young person’s future, since their scores largely determine if and where they can attend university and what areas of study they can pursue. While many critics of the gaokao say preparing for it is too gruelling, others still consider the exam a relatively fair system of meritocracy – especially for students from less-privileged socio-economic backgrounds.
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00:00 Police escorting students
00:02 and entire volunteer taxi fleets
00:06 ready to ferry students to exam centres.
00:09 Those are only some examples
00:12 of how far people in China will go
00:14 to ensure students do well
00:16 in the nation's all-important Gaokao exams.
00:20 So what exactly is the Gaokao?
00:23 And why is the examination such a big deal in China?
00:27 Gaokao means "high test" in Chinese,
00:30 but its official name is the National Higher Education Entrance Examination.
00:36 It is widely considered a highly competitive exam
00:39 which can make or break a young person's future.
00:43 Gaokao exam scores help determine
00:46 which university students can attend
00:48 and their areas of study.
00:50 More than 30 million Gaokao candidates
00:53 were expected to sit the exam.
00:55 Studying for and taking the test is a gruelling process
00:59 that has generated increasing controversy
01:02 among some students and families.
01:04 However, many Chinese people
01:06 are still reluctant to take the exam.
01:09 They are afraid of the risk of being rejected.
01:12 They are afraid of the risk of being rejected.
01:15 They are afraid of the risk of being rejected.
01:18 They are afraid of the risk of being rejected.
01:21 They are afraid of the risk of being rejected.
01:24 They are afraid of the risk of being rejected.
01:27 They are afraid of the risk of being rejected.
01:30 They are afraid of the risk of being rejected.
01:33 Many Chinese people still consider the examination
01:36 a relatively fair way for students
01:39 with different social standings
01:41 to prove they have what it takes to succeed
01:44 because the process has no upper age limit,
01:47 does not involve family background checks,
01:50 and students from the same province do the same test papers.
01:54 In most provinces, students sit the exams over two days
01:58 when they are tested on Chinese language,
02:00 mathematics, and a foreign language.
02:03 Full marks for each of those subjects are 150 points.
02:08 The scores are combined with results
02:10 on three other elective exams,
02:12 each worth a maximum of 100.
02:15 To enter a top school like Peking University in 2023,
02:19 students from most regions
02:21 would have to score close to or above 700 points.
02:25 But what is the top tip for students who want good results?
02:29 Study, study, and more study.
02:33 Some students try to improve their chances
02:35 by attending cram schools like Mao Teng Chuang High School,
02:39 one of the many places known as Gaokao Meals around the country.
02:43 Students spend up to 16 hours a day
02:46 practicing to take the exam using past Gaokao papers.
02:50 But for some students who have taken the examination,
02:54 Gaokao's stress pales in comparison
02:57 to the challenges they faced later in life.
03:00 Gaokao is nothing special.
03:02 It's just a national event,
03:04 and it's more strict on security.
03:07 My biggest challenge is the direction of my employment.
03:12 Since I started studying,
03:14 some industries have undergone some significant reforms.
03:18 For example, finance has started to decline.
03:21 This is different from the trend I had when I started studying.
03:26 So I have to adjust my goals.
03:28 The demand for training is a bit high in this industry.
03:32 So it's unlikely that I will graduate from this course and go to work.
03:35 China's youth unemployment rate hit a historic high of 21.3% in 2023,
03:42 and authorities temporarily suspended releasing the numbers.
03:45 When authorities resumed publishing the figure,
03:48 it showed youth unemployment fell to 14.7% in April 2024.
03:55 But many economists said the real number may have been much higher
03:59 because measurement methods were adjusted.
04:02 So for the millions more students taking the examination this week,
04:06 the rough road to the Gaokao will continue with the challenge
04:10 of getting their careers on track.
04:13 (Cheers)
04:14 (Applause)
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