Comparing the Gaokao and the SAT

         Did you think that the SAT was hard? Well think again, because this test is a breeze compared 

to The Gaokao, Chinas elite test that secures a position into a prestigious college. It is extremely hard 

to pass this test, considering that nearly nine million students take yearly. This test is very different 

from the SAT.

  
       One difference they have is that the test requires large periods and consistency of studying. In 

the article "Chinas Cram Schools" by Brook Larmer from the New York Times says "When the 

government banned tuition-­based courses from public schools in 2004, the local administrators 

turned the entire public-school curriculum into an intensive cram course." As well, on the 

website sat.collegeboard.org, they say that With more than three months until the SAT, you’re in a 

great position to get familiar with the test format and take a few practice tests." This is a very big 

difference, because students study so hard for the Gaokao that they sometimes even have IV drips 

for more energy. 

         Another difference is the test length in days. For the Gaokao, it can take up to 3 whole days, or 

just 2 based on which province the test is taken on. In the US, the SAT only takes 3 hours and 45 

minutes, much shorter than the gaokao. On the website Collegestats.org, the author says that the test 

is more than two times the length of the SAT. 

       The last difference is that the SAT is focused on critical thinking, and logic, as well as subjects 

taught in regular classrooms. In the Gaokao, the test questions are based on general facts with no 

reasoning. A startling fact from Collegestats.org was that "only .2% of the test takers get into top 5 

colleges."

        All in all, the Gaokao have many differences, and the US has the luxury of retaking the SAT if 

they feel it is necessary, but for the Chinese children, they have one shot at a better future.