高三 · The year
Senior year, month by month.
Not everyone's calendar looks identical, but this is roughly the rhythm most Chinese schools organize senior year around, and the two days themselves.
September
高三 begins
Senior year starts. Most schools reorganize into intense review classes; textbook material is largely complete and the year is spent revisiting and drilling.
October
First month of full-length practice
Weekly full-subject papers become the rhythm. Diagnostic mocks help set target universities.
November
College info season
Universities and provincial exam agencies publish preliminary information about the coming year's exam format and any procedural changes.
December
一模 (first mock)
The first major mock exam of senior year, usually school-wide or district-wide. Results are widely used to calibrate expectations.
January
Winter break, shortened
The Spring Festival break is reduced for senior students. Many attend intensive review classes or study independently.
February
Return to school
Post-break, focus shifts to the specific chapters flagged by the diagnostic and mock results.
March
二模 (second mock)
The second major mock, often more representative of the final exam's difficulty. Preference-submission strategy starts to take shape.
April
三模 (third mock) and 志愿 preview
The last major mock. Students begin exploring university and major choices, historical cutoffs, and the previous year's admission plans.
Early May
Wind-down
New material stops. Focus shifts to consolidating the 错题本, reviewing weak topics, and building endurance for the two-day sitting.
Late May
Taper
Sleep goes up. Full papers become rare and only under exact exam conditions. Physical routines regularize.
June 6
Day before
Walk to the exam center once. Pack the bag: 准考证, 身份证, 2B pencils, black-ink pens, ruler, compasses, eraser, water bottle. Light dinner, no coffee after 6 PM, in bed by 10:30.
June 7
Day 1 — Chinese (morning), Math (afternoon)
语文 09:00-11:30. 数学 15:00-17:00. Between sessions: no discussing the paper, no scrolling, a real meal and a short rest.
June 8
Day 2 — Comprehensive / electives (morning), English (afternoon)
综合 or first elective 09:00-11:30. 英语 15:00-17:00. Some new-gaokao provinces add June 9-10 for further electives.
Mid-June
Recovery week
Sleep, see friends, don't check your work against posted answer keys — they can be wrong and the emotional cost is high.
Late June
Results released
Provincial score release, typically 3-4 weeks after the exam. Batch cutoffs (批次线) are announced simultaneously.
Late June / Early July
志愿填报 window
The (usually few-day) window to submit your ranked list of universities and majors. This decision matters more than the exam did.
Mid-July to August
Admission notices
Universities send admission letters (录取通知书) in the order of their admission batch. First-tier universities generally notify in mid-July.
September, one year later
You start university
You arrive with a suitcase, an anxiety hangover, and the beginning of a very different four years.