A total of 13.42 million Chinese high school students will take the annual national college entrance exam, known as the gaokao, on June 7-8.

The exam is an important test for Chinese high school students, determining their college admission.

The infographic below answers three questions. First, what is the gaokao? Second, how many students will take the gaokao this year? Third, how hard is the gaokao?

In 2023, out of 12.91 million applicants, over 10.42 million were admitted to universities and vocational schools, accounting for 80.7 percent. More than half of these admissions, 54.1 percent, were to vocational colleges, while 45.9 percent were to undergraduate programs. Even fewer students gain entry into the country's top universities, highlighting the high stakes and intense competition of the gaokao.