Since 2014, China has been rolling out a reformed gaokao (新高考, 'new gaokao') one province at a time. It replaces the old split into a humanities track (文科) and a science track (理科) with a subject-choice system, in one of two shapes: '3+1+2' or '3+3'.
Under '3+1+2', every student sits Chinese, mathematics and English. Each then picks either physics or history as their main elective (the '1'), and two more from chemistry, biology, geography and political science (the '2').
Under '3+3', the same three core subjects are compulsory, and students choose any three electives from a wider pool. Shanghai and Zhejiang piloted this version.
The electives are not marked on raw points. They are converted by percentile into a graded score (等级赋分). The idea is to compare a chemistry candidate and a geography candidate on a fair footing, but it also adds a strategic layer: your elective score depends partly on who else chose that subject.
Universities and individual majors publish subject requirements. A physics-track student can apply to most STEM majors; a history-track student is largely limited to the humanities and business. That means the choice of electives — made in tenth grade — quietly decides which degrees will be open to you three years later.
By 2026 most provinces use some form of the new gaokao, but the details vary. If you are comparing systems or advising a student, always check the specific province's implementation.