The gaokao and the SAT are both university entrance exams, but they serve different systems. The gaokao (高考), China’s national college entrance examination, is a multi-day exam held once a year in June and used for admission to universities in mainland China. The SAT is a digital test of just over two hours, offered several times a year and used by many universities in the United States and some elsewhere. For families choosing between the Chinese and international pathways, the key difference is that each exam sits at the end of a different curriculum, so the decision usually needs to be made years before the exam itself.
This guide from Qingdao No. 1 International School of Shandong Province (QISS) explains how the gaokao and the SAT compare and what international school families should consider.
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See QISS admissions →What Is the Gaokao?
The gaokao is the national examination for admission to universities in mainland China. It is taken at the end of senior high school, usually after twelve years of schooling, when most students are around seventeen or eighteen. In 2026, 12.9 million candidates registered for the exam, which was held from 7 to 8 June, with some regions continuing to 10 June, as reported by China Daily.
All candidates take papers in Chinese, mathematics and a foreign language, and most provinces add elective subjects chosen by the student under recent reforms. The subject combinations and scoring arrangements vary by province, and universities admit students largely on their gaokao score within each province.
How Long Do Students Study for the Gaokao?
In practice, the gaokao is the end point of the whole Chinese school curriculum, so preparation builds over many years. The final year of senior high school is usually devoted to intensive revision for the exam.
What Is the SAT?
The SAT is run by College Board and taken digitally in the Bluebook app. It has two sections, Reading and Writing and Math, and is scored from 400 to 1600. Students can take it several times and many universities consider their best results. College Board describes the test on its SAT overview page.
The SAT usually sits alongside a US-style high school curriculum, school grades, AP courses, essays and recommendations. It is one part of an application rather than the single deciding score. Our guide to what is a good SAT score explains how scores are judged.
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Talk to admissions →Gaokao vs SAT: Key Differences
| Gaokao | SAT | |
|---|---|---|
| Used for | Universities in mainland China | Many US universities, and some in other countries |
| When | Once a year, in June | Several dates a year |
| Format | Multi-day written exams in several subjects | Two-section digital test |
| Weight in admission | The main deciding factor | One part of a holistic application |
| Retakes | Waiting a full year | Possible within the same year |
| Curriculum | Chinese national curriculum | Usually a US-style curriculum with AP or similar |
Which Pathway Fits Your Family?
The choice depends less on the exam and more on the curriculum and the universities a child is aiming for.
- Nationality and eligibility. The gaokao is designed for students in the Chinese school system. International students usually apply to Chinese universities through separate international admissions, often with a Chinese proficiency test such as HSK.
- Target universities. Students aiming for universities in the United States usually follow a US-style curriculum with the SAT or ACT. Students considering several countries can compare our guides to applying to universities in Hong Kong, Japan and Korea.
- Timing. Switching between the Chinese curriculum and an international curriculum is easiest earlier in secondary school, because both pathways build towards their exams over several years.
The International Pathway at QISS
QISS follows a US curriculum with AP courses and is accredited by WASC and CIS. QISS is an authorized SAT and AP testing site, and students can sit the SAT on campus three to four times a year at our SAT and AP test center. Students at QISS also study Chinese through our Chinese Language and Culture program, and our college counseling team helps them apply to universities in the USA, Canada, the UK, Europe, Australia, Korea and Japan.
Our SAT vs ACT guide and testing timeline by grade explain how testing fits into the high school years. If your family is weighing pathways, you are welcome to visit our campus.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the gaokao?
The gaokao (高考) is China’s national college entrance examination, held once a year in June and used for admission to universities in mainland China.
What age do students take the gaokao?
Students usually take it at the end of senior high school, after about twelve years of schooling, when most are around seventeen or eighteen.
Can international students take the gaokao?
The gaokao is designed for students in the Chinese school system. International students usually apply to Chinese universities through separate international admissions, often with a Chinese proficiency test such as HSK.
Is the gaokao harder than the SAT?
They are hard to compare directly. The gaokao covers several subjects over multiple days and largely decides admission on its own, while the SAT is one part of a wider application.
Can you go to a US university with the gaokao?
Some universities outside mainland China consider gaokao results, but policies vary widely. Most US universities expect a US-style transcript, and many ask for SAT or ACT scores or accept them optionally.
