Which event has most changed your life? It is usually hard to give a clear, definitive answer. However, in China, there is a standard reply: it is the Gaokao, the nation-wide university entrance exam. It is hard to overemphasise the significance of the Gaokao in the national consciousness—every year in June, celebrities record videos to encourage examinees, crowds throng temples to pray to divinities associated with wisdom and intelligence, and motivational slogans are hung on the main gate of every high school, at least in my home city of Hangzhou. The most famous slogan of the pack is probably “one exam determines the rest of your life” (一考定终生). The common sentiment behind this phrase goes: a good score in Gaokao will gain you entry into a good university; a good university will lead you into a good company; a good company will bring you a good salary and social prestige; and these will finally enable you to form a happy family. Though such formulations may be somewhat overdramatic, it is still true for most Chinese that the Gaokao determines access to higher education and social mobility….
Gaming the Gaokao? Reflections on the Chinese Examination Reform through the Dilemma of Physics
