It’s the final countdown for millions of teenagers across China.

The annual college entrance examination, or “gaokao,” marks the end of high school in the country and decides which university a student can go to. It’s still seen by many as the only way for students from poor families to change their destinies.

Every February, high schools across China organize grand military-style parades to kick off the 100-day countdown to June 6, the exam’s start date. Schools hope the parades will boost morale for student “soldiers,” and attending the exam is widely referred to as “fighting on a battlefield” (上战场) in China.

Even though China is opening more higher education institutions and encouraging existing schools to expand matriculation, competition for college admissions is growing fiercer as a gulf widens between prestigious schools and lesser-known ones.

In 2018, 9.75 million students signed up for the exam. The prestigious Peking University’s acceptance rate that year was roughly 0.03%.

Gallery: Gaokao Countdown in Pictures