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文章 · Fifty articles
The library.
Read alongside the practice sets. Strategy, subject deep-dives, exam mechanics, history, mind-and-body notes, and what to do the week after.
50 of 50
- 学习策略 · Study strategy · 6 minBuilding a 100-day gaokao study planReverse-engineer the last hundred days from exam day: diagnostic first, then a rotation, then two weeks of taper.
- 学习策略 · Study strategy · 4 minThe Pomodoro method, adjusted for gaokao prepTwenty-five minutes is too short for a math paper. Here is how to stretch the cycle without losing the point of it.
- 学习策略 · Study strategy · 5 minHow to actively review, not passively re-readHighlighting the textbook feels productive and produces almost nothing. The alternative takes less time and works.
- 学习策略 · Study strategy · 5 minSpaced repetition for English and 文言文 vocabularyAnki, physical cards, or a paper Leitner box — the schedule matters more than the tool.
- 学习策略 · Study strategy · 5 minNote-taking systems that survive senior yearBeautiful notes that took two hours to write help less than ugly notes you actually review.
- 学习策略 · Study strategy · 5 minBuilding an error notebook (错题本) that actually helpsOne page per class of mistake, not one page per wrong question. The distinction is the whole point.
- 学习策略 · Study strategy · 4 minWhen to abandon a topic and move onSome topics have a very bad points-per-hour ratio. Knowing which ones is a skill in itself.
- 学习策略 · Study strategy · 5 minPracticing under real time pressureYou do not rise to the level of your preparation. You fall to the level of your training.
- 学习策略 · Study strategy · 4 minHow mock exams should feelIf every mock leaves you either euphoric or crushed, you are learning about your mood, not your knowledge.
- 学习策略 · Study strategy · 5 minThe last two weeks: what to actually doNot new material. Not more hours. A shorter list than you would expect.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 6 minChinese: writing the 议论文 essayA three-body-paragraph skeleton, one strong example per paragraph, and a closing that does not restate the question.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 5 minChinese: reading comprehension without panickingRead the questions first. Underline the return points. Answer in the language of the passage.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 6 minClassical Chinese: sentence patterns you must knowPassive constructions, judgment sentences, inverted objects — five patterns cover most of what the exam tests.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 6 minMath: mastering the derivative sectionDerivatives are the section where careful students beat clever ones. Rules, then applications, in that order.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 6 minMath: the ellipse and hyperbola without tearsStandard-form conversion is a mechanical skill. Chord-length problems reduce to a small number of substitutions.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 5 minMath: probability and statistics on the gaokaoThe formulas are short. The reading is what trips students up.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 5 minEnglish: reading comprehension speed tricksSkim for structure, then read for detail — never both at once.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 5 minEnglish: the 阅读七选五 (7-choose-5) formatThis is a logic puzzle disguised as reading. Cohesion markers do most of the work.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 5 minEnglish: writing the 应用文 (short letter) taskA tight three-paragraph structure and a bank of ten polite formulas gets you most of the marks.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 5 minPhysics: solving pulley and inclined-plane problemsDraw the free-body diagram before anything else. Every time. No exceptions.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 6 minPhysics: electromagnetic induction step-by-stepFlux, then EMF, then current, then force. Always in that order.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 5 minChemistry: memorizing periodic-table trends without memorizing the whole tableFour trends and the reasoning behind each. That is the whole exam-relevant content.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 6 minChemistry: organic reactions you can't skipSubstitution, addition, elimination, esterification, oxidation. Five reaction types cover most of the exam.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 5 minBiology: photosynthesis and respiration side by sideSame molecules, opposite directions, different organelles. Learn the comparison, not the two processes separately.
- 分科攻略 · By subject · 6 minBiology: genetics problems and dihybrid crossesSet up the Punnett square carefully once, then trust the ratios.
- 考试规则 · Exam mechanics · 6 minWhat actually happens on gaokao dayTwo mornings, two afternoons, in a room that is quieter than any exam room has any business being.
- 考试规则 · Exam mechanics · 5 minThe answer sheet: rules, mistakes, and timeThe answer sheet is graded by machine. Anything the machine cannot read, you did not answer.
- 考试规则 · Exam mechanics · 6 minFilling in the volunteer application (志愿填报) after the examThe decision is bigger than the exam. Take it more seriously than the exam.
- 考试规则 · Exam mechanics · 5 minUnderstanding the 分数线 (cutoff scores)One number sets your tier. Another number sets your school. They are not the same thing.
- 考试规则 · Exam mechanics · 5 minThe 一本二本 tier system, explainedTiers describe when a school admits, not necessarily how good the school is. Learn the distinction.
- 考试规则 · Exam mechanics · 6 minNew gaokao (新高考) vs. traditional formatThree subjects fixed. Three subjects chosen. The change is bigger than it sounds.
- 考试规则 · Exam mechanics · 5 minRegional differences: why Henan is harder than BeijingSame exam name, wildly different competition. The score you need is set by where you live.
- 考试规则 · Exam mechanics · 4 minWhat to bring into the exam roomA very short list. Assemble it the night before, not the morning of.
- 历史文化 · History & culture · 6 minA brief history of the gaokao since 1977Restored in 1977, expanded through the 1990s, reformed steadily since 2000. The current exam is a moving target.
- 历史文化 · History & culture · 5 minThe 1977 gaokao and its generationOne winter exam, and the careers of a generation of Chinese leaders, scientists, and writers were made.
- 历史文化 · History & culture · 6 minGaokao and social mobility in modern ChinaThe most standardized exam on earth. Also, one of the most-debated engines of mobility in modern history.
- 历史文化 · History & culture · 5 minKeju and the gaokao: parallels and mythsThe imperial exam and the modern one share less than the shorthand suggests.
- 历史文化 · History & culture · 5 minFamous gaokao essay prompts through the yearsA rough map of what the exam has asked students to write about, from the 1980s to now.
- 历史文化 · History & culture · 5 minThe gaokao in popular Chinese filmsA handful of films define how the exam is dramatized. Watching them will not help your score, but they will help you feel less alone.
- 身心状态 · Mind & body · 4 minSleep during senior year — the non-negotiablesYou cannot outwork sleep debt. The math has been checked.
- 身心状态 · Mind & body · 5 minHandling parental pressureThe pressure comes from love. That does not make it easier to sit with.
- 身心状态 · Mind & body · 4 minWhat to eat the week before the examSmall, familiar, boring meals. This is not the week to try anything new.
- 身心状态 · Mind & body · 5 minManaging test anxiety on paper 1Your body will react. That is normal and expected. The plan is what you do after that.
- 身心状态 · Mind & body · 4 minPhysical exercise during intense study periodsThirty minutes a day. It is not a distraction — it is a study tool.
- 身心状态 · Mind & body · 4 minThe night before: pack, sleep, don't cramThe last night's work has already been done. The last night's job is to arrive in good shape.
- 报考与升学 · After the exam · 6 minTop Chinese universities in 2026: a quick tourThe elite is small and stable. Knowing the top fifteen is enough for most application decisions.
- 报考与升学 · After the exam · 4 minThe C9 League overviewNine universities. About one percent of national enrollments. Roughly a fifth of high-cited research.
- 报考与升学 · After the exam · 5 minStudying abroad after skipping the gaokaoA different track that requires early planning. Not a shortcut.
- 报考与升学 · After the exam · 6 minChoosing a major: STEM vs. humanities in 2026The safe answer has been engineering for two decades. That is not the only right answer.
- 报考与升学 · After the exam · 5 minLife after acceptance: your first month at 大学The exam is behind you. The next four years will not resemble it.