Gaokao doesn't translate to "big test". The "gao" (high) stands for "high education", not "high stakes".

The Chinese Imperial Civil Service Examination was established early in the seventh century and continued until the beginning of the twentieth. It was established and maintained for exactly the same reasons and was subject to exactly the same criticisms. It is at least worth discussing whether the Chinese system of rule by an impartial bureaucracy with entry based solely on performance in the examination has not provided better governance than the various types of "government of the people by the rich and privileged" that pass for democracy in the the West.

Why does one test have to determine the rest of your life? If I get a bad grade or score on a test, then I’d like to study more and have a second crack at it. That’s why I disagree with the GaoKao. China is to strict with education, at least for the SAT’s you can retake them if needed. But then again that’s why China’s kids are the smartest or at least one of the smartest children in the world. They are really disciplined in Chinese schools. hosting

The gaokao can be traced back to The Chinese Imperial Civil Service Examination, which was established many centuries ago. For a country with such a huge population, what is the best way to get the "Best of the Best"?

The gaokao seems to be the best option as proven by the many centuries of Imperial Civil Service Examination. Back in the old days, the scholars were not only required to memorize all the verses in the ancient text-books but also to analyze and meaningfully using them in many tricky and mind boggling situations.

In my opinion, the strict "one chance" ruling is a very good way to filter out and find the best student among the millions, 9 million to be exact for 2011. With so much at stake, the students will have go all out to study and master all the subjects. With this strong background, they will be able to put them to good use when they specialize in their respective niche at the college level.

In a way, if properly done, this is meritocracy at it best - there is with no political or family connection nor family background. All the student has to do is to study very very hard for a better future.

China, under no circumstances, should adopt the American K-12 educational methods which produce too many students who are deficient in reading and math skills, also lack basic scientific knowledge. The K-12 education is the foundation of the educational system of a country. If a country has lousy K-12 education, it will eventually provide inferior college materials and ultimately undermine it's university system. How can it be good for America's innovative and creative capabilities?when it's students are very deficient in readtng, math,science. China should keep improving on what it already has, as it has been for the last 10 years.

I believe the United States has, once again, beaten China to the punch, here. For the past thiry years, the U.S. Education System has methodically and successfully turned actual learning into the art of "passing a test". No longer do students in the U.S. "learn" anything; their sole raison d'etre is to pass a test, no matter how meaningless, to advance to the next grade.
With the full endorsement of Big Business, the "dumbing" of America is nearing its completion. This will allow for the return of economic Feudalism and Slavery in their purest forms. The Middle Class will be obliterated, and the top 2% will reign supreme over the masses, once again.
Perhaps China will see the error of persuing this policy, and be able to avoid areturn to the Dark Ages.

The Guokao is the most objective and efficient method to distinguish one Chinese student from another. Like any other standardized test it's mostly about hard work really. If you put time into studying your score will likely improve. There maybe a few exceptions where some high level official can change the score of a relative, or people engaging in cheating, but this is a small percentage of the total tests which are taken.

Other systems rely on far more subjective measures end up emphasizing on family background and luck . Let's talk about luck first. If you are born of a certain race your chances of getting accepted into elite (top25) universities would instantly multiply due to affirmative action. You can also be lucky and born into a wealthy family. Elite eduction can be bought (private schools). Teachers recommendations can be bought (giving teachers presents). "Leadership" experiences favored by US admission systems can be bought (wealthy parents sending their kids to foreign countries to run charities). "Creativity" which is mostly judged admission essays can be bought (there are services to where you can get someone else to write your essay). When you add in elite universities' legacy preferences, it's little wonder that most elite schools in Western nations are full of kids of the elite.

Worse than the SAT's? Why would you even compare the two countries in regards to achievement in education? China has been streamlining their most gifted for years. From math and science to sports, they have a system that has provided many champions.

Is this any fairer than the standardized test that Indians start studying for at 8 years old to get into IIT?

This practice goes on everywhere, and something tells most of the tests are likely superior in every way than to the SAT. They are extremely difficult, and whether you want to be a doctor, lawyer, chiropractor, nurse, or engineer, the playing field is level. They take the best thinkers and move on.

This is the opposite of the U.S. where everyone believes they deserve a college education, and can handle the rigors of college. All this has created is a system where you essentially buy a degree, and the same people who would not have received a job without a degree, do not receive that same job with a degree. One of the benefits of the U.S. is the fact that there is more opportunity to open a small business, whether it is running a complex of physicians without being one, a construction company, or a clinic of massages therapists and chiropractors, opportunity abides. I do not believe these opportunities are available in the same way in countries like India and China, but that may also speak to the pure numbers of their population. Success in this world is not guaranteed, and as the numbers grow larger, more and more will need to work harder than ever.

Unfortunately is not only China that faces troubles with college admission exams. But it's important to notice at least the Chinese and the Asian ascending countries in general give education its right value.

I'm Brazilian and here educational standards aren't even close to one the 8th economy in the world deserved. Less privileged people are in total disadvantage. It doesn't matter how many incentives the government adopts. In Brazil each college has its own admission test even though there is a national exam. Recently there has been a strugle to make some use of this test, but the problems, that vary from corruption to disorganization, have doomed these attempts. So, the best universities have the most difficult tests which are unfair to people from lower social classes.

Another issue we face here is the lack of investment in education. Nowadays there are no qualified workers to fill in job vacancies. From building constructors to salesmen to engineers. There is a huge lack of qualified people and all because of the lack of investment in education in the past years.How can Brazil grow without qualified people to increase production? No idea.

We should mirror on the Asian countries. Like South Korea and China. There can be no great leap if the country is carrying the heavy weight of unsufficient education.

@ Dr. Jones

The kinds of misdeeds that you attribute to the Chinese educational system thru its gaokao does not mean that the educational system here in America is better than in China. The admissions system of private universities in the US is far worse. It is simply unmeritocratic, undemocratic, lacks tranparency, opacity
repugnantly dishonest etc. Just take a look at the Ivies with its vast system of preferences, preferences for the children of alumni, children of the well known and famous, preferences for the children of professors, athlethic preferences ( where the main beneficiaries are white athlethes ) etc. This is exactly what you would call as " guanxi " in China . If grades and SAT scores were the sole basis of admissions at Harvard and Stanford, then 60 % of the entire freshman class of the those schools would vanish into thin air. The kind of system of admissions that the Ivies practices has no better record in producing creative people compared to the system in China or better or more talented people for that matter. I certianly would not advise any country in the world to adopt the admissions system of private/Ivy universities in the US, It is simply downright loathsome. The widespread and common practice of paying bribes (alumni donations ) by white parents to private/Ivy universities in the US to get their kids admitted to these schools is exactly the same crime committed by that official in Lianyuguang city that you cited. In the recent ACM(ICPC computer programming competition aka " The Battle of the Brains " , 15 of the 19 Chinese teams anwered more than 2 problems of the 11 problems on offer compared to only 7 of the18 American college teams. That should tell you something that the gaokao system works. Or as the Chinese student said in the article " withouttthe gaokao then it will all be guanxi like in the private university admissions system in the US ".

I don't think any other forms of tests or exams will get all these problems avoided - especially considering the competition level and the base of the population number.

The educational resources are surely limited for everyone on that ground, where people are leaning to turn to a corrupted way to solve problems.

The only fair system could provide a fair play ground, but the perfect one is only in ideal imaginations.

Does China's nerve-racking gaokao college-entrance exam really identify the country's best and brightest, or is it even sillier and more unfair than the SAT? My comment about democracy was, admittedly, a little bit cheap. However China has maintained a, relatively, stable system for well over one thousand years and for almost all of that time has been the most technologically advanced and most prosperous nation on the planet. That, at least provides a prima facie case for examining their approach. Those who are knowledgeable on the history of governanc finance Unfortunately is not only China that faces troubles with college admission exams. But it's important to notice at least the Chinese and the Asian ascending countries in general give education its right value. I'm Brazilian and here educational standards aren't even close to one the 8th economy in the world deserved. Less privileged people are in total disadvantage. It doesn't matter how many incen.

While these tests may be brutal to take and may be unfair in that children of the upper class have access to tutors and other education advantages during their school years at least it gives opportunity to all based on achievement.

It is much better than a system that allows what place a child's parents occupy in society or the color of the skin of the child to determine admission standards.

It is disgraceful when children with higher grades and test scores are denied entrance to a particular university to allow another child with lower grades and test scores to take the limited admission slot.

Yet this happens everyday here in the US. Minority children with inferior qualifications are given admission despite their lack of qualifications while Caucasian and Oriental children with superior qualifications are denied admission because the university does not have the slots for both groups.

And the saddest thing about this situation is that many times the minority children fail to achieve success and end up dropping out of that university. Their initial lack of qualifications may it difficult, if not impossible, for the child to keep up in the college classes. So that educational slot is lost to society and we have one less Doctor or Engineer graduating here in the US.

ChangS