Every year on 7 June the gaokao begins across China at the same time, with Chinese on the first morning and mathematics in the afternoon. In provinces using the reformed system, elective subjects run on for one or two more days. More than ten million candidates have registered in recent years, which makes the logistics a national operation.
Security starts long before the exam. Papers are set under strict confidentiality, printed in secure facilities and transported to local stores under police escort, where they are kept under guard and video surveillance until the morning of each session. Opening and handling procedures are tightly recorded.
At the exam centre, candidates pass identity checks against their admission ticket and ID card. Many provinces use facial recognition at the entrance, and metal detectors to keep phones and other devices out. Exam rooms are typically monitored by cameras, and authorities run radio monitoring to detect transmitters and hidden earpieces used for cheating.
The penalties are serious. Since 2015 organising cheating in national exams, or supplying questions or answers, has been a criminal offence under Chinese law. Individual candidates caught cheating can have their results cancelled and may be barred from future sittings.
Cities also adjust to the exam. Many local governments restrict construction noise near exam centres, ask drivers not to sound their horns, and set aside traffic help for candidates who are running late. Police and taxi drivers giving lifts to stranded students are a familiar gaokao news story, but these arrangements are local and vary from place to place.
For candidates, the practical lesson is simple: the system is designed around fixed times and strict rules, and it does not bend. Know your session times, your centre's route and the list of permitted items, and arrive early. The separate guides on exam-day routine and what to bring cover the individual candidate's checklist in more detail.