The world's toughest and largest exam, Gaokao

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04:06

Imagine preparing 12 years for a nine-hour test that may decide the rest of your life.

For millions of Chinese students, that’s exactly what this week holds.

This year, over 9.75 million students have registered for China’s annual national college entrance examination, or gaokao, the highest in eight years.

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It is considered a relatively fair way to screen and select candidates for higher education institutions and will have a large impact on their future.

For most Chinese students, a high gaokao score is the ultimate goal after more than a decade of studying, from elementary to high school.

Throughout the year, they work from early morning to late night, attend extra classes on weekends and take numerous mock exams.

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On that special day, in order to get into their dream schools, students must take every question seriously. One mistake makes a big difference.

Here we talk to people on what they think about the world’s toughest and largest exam.