Cover Story: China’s Decade-Long Quest to Ease the Pressure on Pupils From an Exam That Shapes Their Life

With less than a month until the 2025 Gaokao, Li Li, like millions of Chinese high school pupils, is under immense pressure. Li undergoes nine practice exams a week and spends weekends preparing for China’s national college entrance test, reflecting the relentless focus and urgency among students facing what is considered a life-defining examination [para. 1][para. 2]. This year, approximately 14 million students will take the Gaokao, which marks the culmination of 12 years of education and heavily impacts their future opportunities [para. 3]. In 2024, the Gaokao reform introduced in 2014 will be extended to 29 of China’s 32 provincial-level regions, furthering a decade-long process that the education minister has described as the most profound overhaul since the test’s reinstatement in 1977 [para. 4][para. 5]. The reforms changed the exam’s structure, combining core subjects (Chinese, math, a foreign language) with elective options and introduced holistic university admissions processes [para. 6].

The reforms were designed to reduce excessive exam pressure, enhance fairness, improve talent selection, and link lifelong learning opportunities, but questions remain about whether they have truly eased academic burdens or encouraged balanced development [para. 7][para. 8]. For most Chinese students, success on the Gaokao continues to define high school life and future career prospects [para. 9]. Previously, students were required to choose between humanities or sciences early in their high school years, which limited their options [para. 10]. The new system—adopted as either “3+1+2” or “3+3” models—gives students greater subject flexibility, but has led to a strong preference for science disciplines, particularly physics and chemistry, because they maximize university options and job prospects [para. 11][para. 12][para. 13][para. 14][para. 15][para. 16]. A 2021 directive empowered universities to set their own subject requirements, resulting in more than half of all undergraduate majors now requiring physics and/or chemistry [para. 17]. This educational shift is mirrored in labor market outcomes: a 2024 Zhaopin report found that STEM graduates had a 49.4% job offer rate, compared to 47.1% for economics and management and 43.9% for humanities and social sciences [para. 18]. National policies also prompt universities to increase technology-related programs at the expense of the humanities, with admissions for humanities students being cut at top schools such as Fudan University [para. 19][para. 20].

The reforms have intensified the pressure for students to make career choices early, often with limited guidance, making accurate and meaningful counseling more critical but also exposing weaknesses in China’s career guidance system [para. 21][para. 22][para. 23][para. 24][para. 25][para. 26][para. 27]. Many students, like Gu Wen, choose science tracks out of pragmatism rather than genuine interest [para. 28]. Teachers and counselors emphasize the need for a student-centered approach to subject selection and career planning [para. 29].

In practice, on-the-ground preparation for the Gaokao still centers on rote learning and relentless testing, with little change despite the reforms’ intentions for holistic development [para. 30][para. 31][para. 32][para. 33]. The pressure fuels a booming tutoring industry and leaves students exhausted, sometimes studying from before dawn until midnight [para. 34][para. 35]. Reforms require more from teachers and schools, particularly in under-resourced areas, changing both classroom practices and curricula—a transition that many struggle to meet [para. 36][para. 37][para. 38][para. 39].

Despite aspirations to diversify education, systemic issues persist, especially the “one-size-fits-all” nature of the Gaokao, which critics argue cannot fairly assess diverse talents [para. 40][para. 41][para. 42]. Proposals to separate university admissions from the Gaokao—giving universities greater autonomy—have thus far failed due to fairness concerns following past scandals [para. 43][para. 44][para. 45]. Experts suggest only deeper structural changes or improved graduate employment prospects can genuinely reduce the immense pressure attached to the Gaokao [para. 46][para. 47][para. 48].

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