Gaokao

The gaokao is a very difficult test that students in China take to be accepted into university, similar to the SATs. It causes many students very high stress levels. For some universities, it is the only determining factor on whether or not schools accept a student. I believe that it is unfair for everything to ride on the gaokao, for many reasons.

The first reason that the gaokao is unfair is because it requires vigorous preparation, and many families do not have the means to get that. Wealthy families are able to afford private tutors and classes, so many rich kids can get into prestigious schools. However, many poorer or middle class families are unable to afford that, therefore the kids are unable to get accepted into the schools. It is unfair to less fortunate students who can be extremely smart, but are only being judged on one test and cannot train properly for it.

Another reason the gaokao is unfair is because it puts a lot of pressure onto the teenagers who are taking the test. Students lose a lot of sleep, and are so exhausted that they are forced to take extreme measures, like hooking themselves up to intravenous drips. They are also banned from computers, cell phones, and dating, forcing them to study. The stress is so extreme that  suicide rates tend to go up during the time of the gaokao, which shows that this test is far too hard for students. It is unfair to force teenagers to study so hard for one test, and it is unfair for that one test to determine so much of a student’s life.

Some people argue that the test can be helpful to students who need a last resort to get into university, like students who have failed their classes and cannot be accepted into college on their grades. While the test could definitely be helpful for some students, it should not be the only determining factor for acceptances into college, because some people are very smart, but have trouble with tests.

In conclusion, the gaokao should not be the only determining factor in college acceptances. It is far too stressful, it puts rich kids at an advantage, and it is unfair that this one test should determine students’ whole lives. The gaokao is a very unfair test.