When I was very young, adults told me that every student in China would face two major exams: the high school and university entrance examinations. These two examinations are the most important entrance exams in China, respectively determining the chances of entering high school and university. As a young child at that time, I was very terrified about these two examinations. Throughout my decade-long education that I received in the public educational system in China, I heard countless criticisms about the examination system in China. They said that, due to this system, school emphasizes test scores and ignore individualized teaching and each student’s unique characteristics. Do these comments show the reality of the Chinese educational system? In this article, I will use my own experience to talk about what the Chinese exam system is like through my own eyes, and the reason this system exists and is used from the perspective of Chinese human-related social features, the number of the population, the amount of resources, and the historical reasons.
I was sent to kindergarten when I was less than three years old. My kindergarten life was relaxing and rich at the beginning. However, in the last year I was in kindergarten, my teachers seemed to start trying to teach us knowledge that we would learn in primary school in advance to help us to adapt more easily to the study in the future primary school. Whereas, for me at that time, I couldn’t keep up with this knowledge at all.
My elementary school life was not very happy. At that time, I didn’t have a clear understanding of the importance of study (which I think was very normal for an elementary school student), but the teachers seemed to want us to realize the significance of learning to prepare us for junior high school (where students should start to study hard to prepare for the high school entrance examination), so they had strict requirements about our studies. I remember that when I was in fourth grade, students who made a certain number of mistakes in their homework had to stay at school a little longer to correct them, while other students went home after school. I had this experience a few times. Every time, after fixing all the mistakes, when I left school, my friends who usually played with me in the yard had already finished playing and gone home. My heart always felt a bit sad when can’t play with my friends because I made a mistake. I didn’t like this arrangement at all. Even though this taught me to address problems promptly without delaying tasks, I still don’t think this arrangement was necessary for elementary school students.
Among all my experiences in the public educational system in China, the one that has the greatest impact on me was in my junior high school period. I studied in Haidian, Beijing, which is well-known for its high-quality educational resources and strict parenting in Beijing, even in China. My school has very strict school rules for our daily behaviors (which try to create a quiet and pure environment for learning and prepare for the high school entrance exam) and strict requirements for learning. The three years of junior high school were very tough, especially the last year (the year before the high school entrance exam). Back then, I almost spent all my energy studying. I arrived at school at 7 in the morning and left at around 5 in the afternoon. After returning home, I would continue studying until 11 pm at night. During that period, I often felt exhausted and even a bit dazed. This was a process that almost every Chinese student who hopes to enter a better high school or university through the exam would go through (and the university entrance examination would be even more arduous). At school, we could know our overall and individual subject rankings of scores in the grade. Our teachers wouldn’t publicly announce everyone’s rankings like some schools do, but the scores were not confidential, because when I was discussing my score and ranking with my teacher, I could also see others. Our classmates would also secretly discuss others’ grades due to curiosity. Back then, I would subconsciously look up to those who were extremely excellent in their studies (those with top rankings).
I have to say, if I had a choice, I wouldn’t have wanted to go through such a tough process. I think the 15-year-old me would have hoped for more time to develop my hobbies and do other things, not just in the classroom. However, this experience allowed me to figure out my own learning methods and lay a solid foundation for my subjects like biology, chemistry, and geography. At the same time, these experiences cultivated my self-control. The study habits I developed back then still influence me today. For example, the way I take notes during class is based on what I summarized when I was in my junior high school.
After I transferred to an international school in Beijing three years ago, everything has changed dramatically. I was able to go back home earlier after school, and I don’t need to worry about being judged just because of my grade. Now, in the United States, I found that final grades of many courses are not determined solely by exams, which is very different from when I was in public school in China.
There was a period when I felt sorry for the education I had experienced in China. However, after deep thinking, I realized that the system of how Chinese students go to high school and university has its own advantages and logic. Chinese society is a society of human relations, which leads to many people taking shortcuts through “connections”, and the relevant laws in the country are not as complete as those in some Western countries. If the education system followed the American model, there would be many unfair phenomena behind the scenes. At the same time, China is a country with a large population (over 1.4 billion), having emerged from war less than a hundred years ago, and it has limited resources. There are significant differences in educational resources among different provinces. China does not have as many excellent university resources as the United States, nor does it have as much financial aid. Therefore, the college entrance examination, which serves as a screening system, is more in line with the actual situation in China. Everyone, regardless of whether they come from a poor or wealthy family, competes with other students in the same province based on the results of a same exam paper to determine whether they can enter an excellent university or not. This also gives an opportunity for children from very poor families who are willing to study. If they could be accepted in an excellent university in China, they would have a better chance in the future to get a better job. Regarding the historical background of China’s education system, some people think that this examination system is based on the imperial examination system, which was established in the Sui Dynasty about 1,400 years ago (A Brief Introduction to the Sui Dynasty – A Dynasty in Chinese History, Lasting for 38 Years – History Figures Network(隋朝历史简介-中国历史朝代，享国38年_历史人物网)). The imperial examination system selected people based on merit rather than family background. It offered ordinary individuals a path to upward mobility (Daofeidao(道非道), 2025).
Considering the actual situation in China, I think this examination system might be the best and fairest way currently. From an objective perspective of the education system, I think many Chinese people would consider the education and the way they evaluate students in the US (which is not just based on grades) to be more scientific and advanced. Given the current situation in China, if the way the US estimates and educate their students were directly used in China, it might not have a good effect.
Furthermore, when I visited my school and teachers back in China last year, they told me that the Chinese examination system and the logic of its education is constantly undergoing reform now, and more and more educators are beginning to focus on the all-round development of students and encourage them to practice and think.
[Chinese]
从小，我就听大人说，每一个在中国念书的的孩子，未来都要经历中考高考。中考、高考是中国的重要升学考试，分别决定进入高中和大学的机会。尚且年幼的我，觉得这听起来非常的可怕。在我十多年在中国公立体制接受教育的过程中，我听到过不计其数的人们对于中国的考试制度的批评。他们认为，这样的体制过于强调分数而忽略因材施教与每个人的特点，忽略了学生个性的发展。那么现实真如他们所评价的这样吗？我将以我个人的经历片段，以及我对于这些经历的思考总结，以我个人的角度来讲讲中国教育体制，并从中国与人相关的社会特征、人口数量、资源量以及历史原因的角度来解释这个制度的存在和使用的原因。
我不到三岁便被送到了幼儿园。幼儿园的生活是轻松且丰富的。但在最后一年，老师似乎开始尝试提前教会我们小学要学的知识，以帮助我们更轻松的适应未来的小学学习。对当时的我来说，我完全跟不上这些知识的进度。
我有一个不算快乐的小学生活。那时的我，对于学习的重要性没有一个清晰意识（对于小学生来说，我认为这很正常），但是老师们似乎很想让我们意识到学习的重要性以便为我们升入初中做准备（因为在初中阶段，学生们需要开始专注于学习以为未来的中考做准备），所一他们对我们的学习有着相对严格的要求。记得从四年级开始，作业错误比较多的同学会比其他同学晚放学一会，留下来改错，我也有过几次这样的经历。每次改完错误后，当我离开学校时，平日里和我一起在小区里玩的小伙伴已经回家了。每次由于作业的错误而错过在放学后与同学们玩耍，我的内心总会感到有些难过。我不喜欢这样的安排，尽管这教会了“今日事今日毕”，但我仍然认为对于小学生来说这没有必要。
在这些年中，我对我影响最大的一段经历是我的初中阶段。我在北京的海淀区上学，那里以教育资源优质、家长对孩子要求严格在北京甚至是全国而闻名。我的学校对我们的日常行为有着非常严格的校规（旨在为学习创造安静纯净的环境，并为中考做准备），并且对于学习也有着非常严格的要求。初中这三年的时光是辛苦的，尤其是最后一年。那时，我几乎把全部精力都投入到了学习中。每天七点到学校，五点多放学，回家后还要继续学习到晚上十点甚至十一点。在那段时间里，我常常感到疲惫甚至有些恍惚。而这几乎是每一个希望通过考试进入更好高中、甚至大学的中国学生都会经历的过程（而高考只会更加艰苦）。在学校，我们可以知道自己在期中考试与期末考试中的总成绩与单科成绩在整个年级中的排名。我们不会像一些学校一样把所有人的排名公之于众，但分数本身并非保密信息，当我与老师讨论自己的分数和排名时，也能看到其他人的成绩，同学们也会由于好奇而悄悄讨论其他人的成绩。但当时的我，我会不自觉的去高看那些学习特别特别优秀（成绩排名靠前）的同学。
我不得不说，如果我有选择，我不希望经历这样辛苦的过程。我想，15岁的我会希望有更多的时间发展我的爱好，但是这样的经历，让我自己总结出了适合我的学习方式，为我的生物、化学、地理等等学科打下了深厚的基础。同时，这些经历培养了我的自控力。那些年培养的学习习惯如今还在影响着我，比如我做笔记时不自觉采用的结构和格式，其实正是当年为了提高效率一点点总结出来的。
在三年前转学到北京的一所国际学校后，一切发生了翻天覆地的变化。放学后我可以更早地回家了，而且我不必因为成绩而担心受到评判。如今在美国，我发现许多课程的最终成绩并非完全由考试决定，这与我在中国公立学校时的情况大不相同。
有那么一段时间，我曾为我所经历的中国教育叹息。然而，在我经过一系列的沉淀与思考后，我意识到，中国的教育有其中的优势，其形式来自于对国情事实的考量以及历史积淀。中国的社会是一个人情社会，这会导致许多人会通过“人情关系”而走后门，且国家相关的法律并不如一些欧美国家完善，一旦升学按照美国这样的体系走，背后会有许多许多不公平的现象发生。同时，中国是一个人口基数非常庞大的国家（超过十四亿人口），从战争走出不过百年，它的资源是有限的。不同的省有着非常大的教育资源差异，而人与人之间也有着贫富差异。中国优秀的大学资源并不如美国丰富，也并没有那么丰富的补助资金，因此，筛选制度的高考更加符合中国的实际情况，每一个人，不论出身贫穷还是富贵，都与同一省的人，以同样内容试卷的答题结果来成为能否上到优秀大学的标准，也让那些原本家境非常贫困的却又愿意努力学习的孩子获得能够去到优秀大学、改变命运的机会。对于中国教育制度的历史背景，有人认为这种考试制度是基于科举制度，该制度于约 1400 年前的隋朝建立（隋朝历史简介-中国历史朝代，享国38年_历史人物网）。科举制度根据个人才能而非家庭背景选拔人才。它为普通民众提供了一条向上流动的途径(道非道, 2025)。
考虑到中国的实际情况，我又觉得这可能是一种在当下最优解上的最公平方式。因此，这让我意识到，教育制度背后的复杂是不可以单纯的以一个角度的对比来去否认或肯定一个的。从客观教育制度的角度，我想很多中国人会认为美国的教育制度更为科学、更为先进。但从实际情况的角度，以如今中国的实际情况，如果将美国的教育制度直接放到中国，也许并不会有很好的效果。在去年回到学校探望老师的时候，他们告诉我，现在，中国的教育制度正在不断的改革之中，越来越多的教育工作者开始注重学生的全面发展并鼓励学生实践与思考。
References
A Brief Introduction to the Sui Dynasty – A Dynasty in Chinese History, Lasting for 38 Years – History Figures Network(隋朝历史简介–中国历史朝代，享国38年_历史人物网). Lishirenwuwang (历史人物网). https://www.lishirenwu.com/zhuanti/suichaolishi.html
Daofeidao (道非道). (2025). From the Imperial Examination System to the College Entrance Examination: Insights from a Thousand Years of Examination Systems for Modern Education.(知乎专 栏. 从科举到高考：千年的考试制度对现代教育的启示). https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/1890573886036345120