China’s Gaokao exam is one of the toughest college entrance exams in the world. In 2025, 13.35 million students took the exam, with acceptance rates below 0.1%. This means only a tiny fraction of students get into the universities they want. The exam tests students on a very broad syllabus and demands a lot of endurance. There is also a lot of pressure from the government and society for students to do well in the exam. Compared to India’s JEE, the Gaokao is much more challenging.
