Gao Kao

Here are Chinese students coming out of day two of the three day college entrance examination called the gao kao. The pressure is on for this test because it basically determines where a student will go to college, and ultimately how good their career prospects will be. The parents wait anxiously outside the gate to whisk their children away for lunch. You can see one older man fanning his daughter as they walk away.

Apparently Chinese parents are so concerned about this test that the Chinese high school experience is devoted to preparation for this test. Parents get private tutors for children or send their children to after-school schools in order to be competitive. Apparently 10 million or so Chinese students took the test this week, and while most will be able to go to some college, only a small percentage can go to the best colleges.

If you perform badly, you can retake the test the following year, but that's not exactly convenient. Each province administrates its own gao kao, and students qualify to attend colleges within that same province. The system has some inequality because students from poor provinces must outperform students from well-developed provinces in order to place into good colleges.

It seems like the US may be moving in this direction as the College Board grows ever more powerful and as US competition increases. The downsides are the lack of traditional adolescent experiences, parental pressure, and the need to select four potential majors before taking the test.