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What is the zhongkao?
The zhongkao (中考) is mainland China's high school entrance examination, taken around age 15. Its most consequential feature is the 普职分流 (academic-vocational streaming): a student's score determines whether they enter an academic high school (the route to the gaokao and university) or a vocational high school — and in many areas only roughly half of students secure an academic place.
The streaming pressure is why some families consider an international-school or overseas pathway around this age: international-curriculum students opt out of the zhongkao fork entirely. It is not a universal escape — it is costly and eligibility depends on passport and school type — but it removes the academic-vs-vocational gamble.
For families weighing this, the decision is best made before the zhongkao year, since switching tracks late is much harder. Eligibility (foreign-passport schools vs private/bilingual schools) usually constrains the option before quality does.
Reviewed by Priscilla Han. BrightKey is independent and takes no payment from schools or universities.
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