page_title: National College Entrance Examination
hierarchical_section_title: National College Entrance Examination
caption_attribution_description: English: National Higher Education Entrance Examination banner in Chongqing Nankai Secondary School 中文: 重庆南开中学的普通高等学校招生全国统一考试横幅
context_page_description: The National College Entrance Examination, commonly known as Gaokao, is an academic examination held annually in the People's Republic of China. This standardized test is a prerequisite for entrance into almost all higher education institutions at the undergraduate level. It is usually taken by students in their last year of senior high school, though there has been no age restriction since 2001.
  The exams last about nine hours over a period of two or three days, depending on the province. The Standard Chinese language and mathematics are included in all tests. Candidates can choose one of the subjects in English, French, Japanese, Russian, German and Spanish as a foreign language test. In addition, students must choose between two concentrations in most regions, either the social-science-oriented area or the natural-science-oriented area. Students who choose social sciences receive further testing in history, political science, and geography, while those who choose natural sciences are tested in physics, chemistry, and biology.
  In 2006, a record high of 9.5 million people applied for tertiary education entry in China.
context_section_description: The National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly known as Gaokao (高考; gāokǎo; 'High[er Education] Exam'), is an academic examination held annually in the People's Republic of China. This standardized test is a prerequisite for entrance into almost all higher education institutions at the undergraduate level. It is usually taken by students in their last year of senior high school, though there has been no age restriction since 2001.
  The exams last about nine hours over a period of two or three days, depending on the province. The Standard Chinese language and mathematics are included in all tests. Candidates can choose one of the subjects in English, French, Japanese, Russian, German and Spanish as a foreign language test (although the six languages were identified as college entrance examination subjects in 1983, the vast majority of candidates regard "foreign language" as "English", and English is the choice of the most candidates). In addition, students must choose between two concentrations in most regions, either the social-science-oriented area (文科倾向) or the natural-science-oriented area (理科倾向). Students who choose social sciences receive further testing in history, political science, and geography (文科综合), while those who choose natural sciences are tested in physics, chemistry, and biology (理科综合).
  In 2006, a record high of 9.5 million people applied for tertiary education entry in China. Of these, 8.8 million (93%) took the national entrance exam and 27,600 (0.28%) were exempted (保送) due to exceptional or special talent. Everyone else (700,000 students) took other standardized entrance exams, such as those designed for adult education students. In 2018, it was reported that 9.75 million people applied for tertiary education entry.
  The overall mark received by the student is generally a weighted sum of their subject marks. The maximum possible mark varies widely from year to year and also varies from province to province.
  Generally, the modern College Entrance Examination takes place from 7 to 8 June every year, though in some provinces it can last for an extra day.
  Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China, NCEE in 2020 has been postponed for one month until 7 to 8 July, while the time of the examination in Hubei province and Beijing is yet to be determined.
caption: A 2013 banner at Chongqing Nankai Secondary School announcing it as an examination venue for the 2013 National Higher Education Entrance Examination
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