What is the Gaokao exam?
Asked by: Bernhard Schamberger | Last update: December 28, 2025Score: 4.8/5 (30 votes)
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 the Gaokao (高考; 'High Exam'), is the annual national undergraduate admission exam in mainland China, held in early June.
What does the gaokao test do?
Imagine the SAT, ACT, and all of your AP tests rolled into two days. That's Gao Kao, or "higher education exam." The marks from all of a student's exams are combined into a single score that defines what colleges they can get into.
What is the highest score in the gaokao?
In most provinces, the maximum overall score that can be obtained in the gaokao is 750 points.
Is gaokao harder than SAT?
Unlike the SAT, all the subjects are combined in a four-hour long exam that lasts for three days. It is not difficult to imagine how hard it is for students in those three days. For me, I barely used my phone or engaged in any entertainment. Besides taking the exam, all I did was review, eat and sleep.
Does Harvard accept gaokao?
If you are from an international school system in which promotion is based upon standardized exams, you should also send a certified copy of your exam results. For example: British A levels, French Baccalaureate, Gaokao Results, International Baccalaureate, etc.
how to study less and get higher grades
Is 550 a good gaokao score?
The better universities usually require a score of at least 550 or higher, however this score varies and changes each year. There are about 9 million students who take this exam every year and only 75% of them can be accepted and enrolled in Chinese Universities.
What GPA does Harvard allow?
GPA requirements for Harvard
At Harvard, the standard GPA is 4.18. (While some schools publish an unweighted GPA, most utilize a weighted GPA out of 4.0.) Harvard needs you to be at the top of your class with a GPA of 4.18. To compete with other applications, you'll need to receive almost all A's.
Is China's gaokao the world's toughest school exam?
We have kept the Gaokao Exam on the first rank in the list of the top 10 toughest exams in the world, as not every applicant manages to pass this exam due to its difficulty level. Now, you know about that Gaokao Exam of China is the toughest exam in the world.
What is the average SAT score in China?
The report shows Chinese students scored 1,213 on average, nearly 300 points lower than that of American students, who got 1,509 on average. The SAT, developed by the US College Board, is a globally recognized college admission test that assesses students' knowledge of reading, writing and math.
Why is the SAT so tricky?
One of the biggest challenges of the SAT is the strict time limits for each section. Managing time effectively is crucial to completing all questions within the allotted time. This pressure can sometimes make the test feel more difficult than it actually is, especially if time management skills are not well-honed.
Which is the 3 toughest exam in the world?
Some of the world's toughest exams include Gaokao (China), IIT JEE Advanced (India), and UPSC Civil Services Exam (India): all three are highly competitive, have very vast syllabi, and intense pressure.
What are the math subjects in gaokao?
The Gaokao exam in math and science covers a range of topics. In mathematics, the topics include algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, probability, and statistics.
Who is the king of gaokao?
Liang Shi, the 56-year-old Chinese millionaire dubbed the “King of Gaokao,” has failed China's notoriously difficult entrance exam for the 27th time.
What is the highest score in gaokao?
The maximum possible score varies from year to year and from province to province, although it is usually 750.
How serious is the gaokao?
It is one of the most ferocious competitions before youth enter society and start another phase of life in the fervent struggle for a well-off living. Parents usually spend all their savings to buy a house in a district with a better primary or junior middle school, believing this as the starting point for winning.
What age do you take the gaokao?
Chinese students traditionally take the gaokao at the end of high school, around age 18, although anyone can register for the exam, regardless of age or educational background.
How much GPA is required to study in China?
First-Year Requirements
In the Chinese system: a minimum average of 80 on a 100 point grading scale. Or the equivalent in the U.S. system: a 'B' average or a 3.00 grade point average (GPA) on a 4.00 GPA grading scale.
Is 800 a bad SAT score?
Unfortunately, by most standards, an 800 is not considered a competitive SAT score. Top-tier colleges generally look for scores well above 1200, and the most selective schools seek scores in the 1400-1600 range. However, an 800 doesn't completely rule out your chances of getting into college.
How rare is 1300 SAT score?
The scale of SAT scores ranges from 400 to 1600, so a 1300 is a reasonably strong score. It places you in approximately the 87th percentile of all test takers. This means you scored better than 87% of the students who took the SAT, which is an achievement!
Has anyone gotten a perfect score on gaokao?
No one has ever gotten a perfect score on the gaokao, the 9-hour Chinese college entrance exam. Random Facts you didn't know ← FACTSlides →
Which is the world toughest exam in USA?
1. The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) takes the top spot as the most challenging exam in the US, with an average preparation time ranging from 200 to 400 hours for each of its three steps.
How many times can you take gaokao?
Yes, you can retake it as many times as you want. Some people retake it more than ten times, spending over a decade on the exam.
Can a 5.0 GPA get me into Harvard?
To have the best shot of getting in, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1580 SAT or a 36 ACT. You should also have a 4.2 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score.
What is the hardest college to get into?
Harvard University
The Harvard acceptance rate is 3%, tied with Caltech for the #1 spot on our list of hardest colleges to get into. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard is a quintessential New England school globally recognized for its rigorous academic programs and influential alumni.
What's the lowest GPA Yale accepted?
We do not set a minimum GPA, nor do we attempt to re-weight GPA's to any standard other than what a school provides.