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China Girds for High-Stress 'Gaokao' Weekend

People cheer to encourage students who will set out to attend the national entrance exam "Gaokao" in Santai county, Mianyang city, southwest Chinas Sichuan province on June 5
People cheer to encourage students who will set out to attend the national entrance exam "Gaokao" in Santai county, Mianyang city, southwest Chinas Sichuan province on June 5Photograph by Imaginechina via AP Photo

China is a country full of worried parents and stressed-out, nervous students. That’s because tomorrow is the beginning of gaokao weekend.

The gaokao (which literally means “high test”) is the grueling annual entrance exam that determines the college every student will attend. This year, there will be 9.39 million nail-biting test-takers (up 270,000 from 2013) participating in the two-day exam that runs June 7-8.