Miljontals studenter skriver ”världens svåraste” prov

The Nationwide Unified Examination for Admissions to General Universities and Colleges (普通高等学校招生全国统一考试), commonly abbreviated as Gaokao (高考; 'Higher Exam'), is the annual national undergraduate admission exam of China, held in early June. The exam is held by provincial governments under directions from the Ministry of Education and is required for undergraduate admissions to all higher education institutions in the country. The Gaokao is taken by high school seniors at the end of their final year. The Gaokao lasts approximately nine hours for a period of two or three days, depending on the provincial administrative regions where it is held. All students must take exams on Chinese and mathematics. Candidates can choose one subject from English, French, Japanese, Russian, German, or Spanish for the foreign language portion of the exam, with most students selecting English. Students must also choose between either the Arts track (文科倾向) or the Science track (理科倾向). Students who choose the Arts track receive further testing in History, Political Science, and Geography (文科综合), while those who choose the Science track are tested in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (理科综合). The overall score received by the student is a weighted sum of their subject marks. The maximum possible score varies from year to year and from province to province, although it is usually 750. Generally, the exam takes place from 7 to 8 June every year, though in some provinces it can last for an extra day. The Gaokao has been delayed on rare occasions, most notably due to the COVID-19 pandemic.