The gaokao is officially known as the National Higher Education Entrance Examination. The Chinese characters for gaokao literally mean "high exam."
More than 9.7 million people across the country took it last year, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
AdvertisementOnly Chinese universities accepted gaokao results in the past, but more and more Western institutions have started to accept them. Last year the University of New Hampshire became the first US state university to accept students based on their gaokao scores, rather than have them take other standardized tests.
Britain's University of Cambridge, Australia's University of Sydney, Canada's University of Toronto, Italy's Accademia delle Belle Arti di Firenze and some private US institutions also accept it.
Parents pray for high marks for their children taking the gaokao in Shenyang, northeastern China in June 2018.VCG/VCG via GettyThe subjects on the test vary by region but typically include the Chinese language, mathematics, and a foreign language (typically English), Xinhua said.
The hardest questions are the essays — which can range from the student's views on philosophy, history, the environment, and President Xi Jinping's policies.
Try and tackle 15 questions from past gaokao exams here: