A growing minority of Chinese students skip the gaokao altogether and apply straight to universities abroad. It is neither easier nor harder than the gaokao — just different, and it has to be planned much earlier.
Common destinations are the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Each system asks for a different mix of standardised tests (SAT, ACT, IELTS, TOEFL), high-school transcripts and application essays.
The decision to skip the gaokao is usually made in tenth grade or earlier. Switching late — deciding in twelfth grade to apply abroad after all — tends to produce a rushed, weak application.
It is possible to sit the gaokao and apply abroad at the same time, and some students do. It is expensive and stressful, and it works best when the family has planned for both tracks from the start.
Some universities in Hong Kong and Australia, and a growing handful in the UK and US, will consider a strong gaokao score as part of an application. That creates a hybrid route worth looking into.