Start: your kids are squeezing the koko bridge. They may be completely different in 10 years
The parents now have a sense of tension in taking advanced examinations: starting at the primary level, the children start working in remedial classes, drawing simulations and getting a diploma in “iron jobs” in order to gain more points in the examination。
But many do not notice that the path beneath them is quietly changing. In 2025, for the first time in eight years, the number of high-level candidates dropped by nearly half a million, and a growing number of young people are no longer superstitious to the fairy tale of “high-level candidates”. Rather than suddenly wanting to go to school, the decades-long “educative beliefs” are being somewhat shaken by demographic changes and the realities of the job market。
Today we will speak in great words about the possible changes in future exams, the reasons behind them and the impact on ordinary family children. Without alarmism, it is based on a solid analysis of policies and data, and as you can see, the future examination is completely different from what you think。
First, understand the two underlying logics: why must kosei change
Many felt that the examination would never change, but the education system had always followed the needs of society, and there were two irreversible trends that were pushing the examination to change。
1. Population collapse, fewer and fewer candidates, schools disgruntled
Our country's born population has fallen from 1,786,000 in 2016 to about 9 million today, with less than 10 years of almost cutting off. The shock wave has now reached kindergarten, with more than half of the country's kindergartens closed; in a few years, it will reach secondary schools and universities。
Specifically, in advanced examinations, the data are more intuitive:
- the number of applicants for advanced examinations in 2025 was 13. 35 million, 70,000 less than in 2024, the first decline in eight years
- according to the population at birth, after 10 years, the number of persons of advanced age may drop directly from the current 12 million to less than 8 million, almost one third less。
There are fewer candidates and the school admissions programme has not followed suit, and many of the two or three colleges, as well as local vocational universities, are likely to be “unsatisfied” in the future. At that point, it was not the children who ran over the university, but the university who took the students in turn, and the scores and admission rules were relaxed。
2.Depreciation of academic qualificationsAt the turn of the day, ordinary undergraduate diplomas are becoming less valuable
Twenty years ago, junior high school students became cadres in state enterprises, and undergraduate students were more important in business; 10 years ago, undergraduate students graduated into large factories and examinations, with many opportunities; now? Higher education graduates in 2026 are expected to exceed 12 million, graduate students are forced to take jobs at the grass-roots level, ordinary second-class resumes are screened directly, and many complete their university studies and find the job search and those who do not。
At the heart of the devaluation of education is not the lack of effort on the part of children, but the expansion of higher education institutions to turn “university diplomas” into mass-produced goods, and the increasingly pragmatic use of human standards by enterprises, the time has passed. When a general undergraduate diploma is no longer available for stable work and decent income, the momentum of crowding out high examinations is naturally weak。
Ii. Four possible core changes over the next 10 years in the senior examination, each affecting the child's lifetime
Many people thinkReform of the baccalaureateIt's a new roll, a fraction, not at all. For future seniors, from "single fraction" to "slitting."Talent selectionAnd the four changes that follow are the ones that are now visible, that are likely to land, and that are all related to your children。
Change 1: “two-track system” is fully shaped, with equal representation of senior candidates and regular senior candidates sit
Many parents look down on them nowVocational educationIt was felt that high-level and technical schools were “no way out”, but that would be the biggest variable in the future to change the pattern of advanced examinations。
The state has long set the tone: vocational education and general education are two different types of education with equal status. In the country's various provinces, admissions are now being made separately from those for the general baccalaureate, with non-verbal + professional skills, direct undergraduate, specialist, full-time diplomas equivalent to those for the general baccalaureate, and state recognition of qualifications。
Future trends are clear:
- the general baccalaureate, which consists of the training of research-oriented and academic-oriented personnel, with the aim of gaining access to large-scale workshops, examinations and scientific research, suitable for children with good grades and who can study
- examinations for higher education, mainly for technical skills, with the aim of entering factories and enterprises as technical cadres for children who are capable and do not love to study。
The two tracks, which are non-interrupted, require lower scores and more jobs. In the past, children had to squeeze a simple bridge, and in the future half of them would be able to find a way out through a higher education examination, without having to squeeze their heads over a few points。
Change 2: the theme is "mechanical brushing" and the children who die in school are losing
Have you noticed that the examination has become more "living" in recent years? Previously, high marks had been obtained through hard-on-the-back exercises and simulations, which were closer and closer to life than to the ability to solve problems, not knowledge。
The ministry of education has already made it clear that future high-level examinations will be “de-routing, anti-mechanical”, focusing on key competencies, discipline and the quality of thinking. To put it simply, the old high-level examinations were about “who has a lot of questions and who knows better”; and the future high-level examinations were about “who can use what he has learned and who can think independently”。
For example, the old mathematical question is pure formula; the current question will give you a real scene, such as counting the number of installations of small areas to charge stakes, designing an energy-saving scheme, not using formulas to solve practical problems, and it won't work. Those children who would only go to school and not change, would lose more and more in high school。
Change 3: the admission is no longer "score-only"Comprehensive qualityIncreasing weighting of evaluations
Many people see the examination as “the most equitable one-wood bridge”, and scores are all about it, but future admissions will be more and more focused on the quality of integration。
Many higher education institutions now have strong-based plans, comprehensive evaluation of enrolments, which combines high-level scores, school performance measurements, comprehensive quality evaluations and, in some cases, only 60 per cent of high-level examinations, with the rest looking at interviews, regular performances and social practices. In the future, this model will grow, especially in priority universities, and will not be viewed only in terms of the score of a single volume, but also in terms of the innovative capacity, practical competence and long-term planning of children。
It's not a bad thing for children of ordinary families. In addition to studying, children had to take part in social practice, academic competitions and creative activities. They could no longer “leave their ears and read only sage books”. There is, of course, no need for anxiety, and a comprehensive quality assessment is not a puzzle, but rather a review of children's regular performance, such as social practice reports and research studies, which are also available to ordinary children。
Change 4: direct linkages between professions and employment, “cold-door” recruitment, “short-off” recruitment
Many parents used to choose “hot” professions, regardless of whether the child likes them or wants to find a job in the future; future university admissions would follow national strategies and market demands and expand the recruitment of those who are missing; and the excess of professions would shrink or even stop。
The ministry of education has been restructuring the undergraduate professional catalogue to include cutting-edge subjects such as artificial intelligence, digital governance, carbon neutrality, etc., and to reduce or discontinue some of the jobs that are duplicated. For example, in many previous arts and literature, enrolment will be reduced; in manufacturing, the digital economy, rural revitalization-related shortages will be significantly expanded, even through scholarships and targeted employment policies。
Future examinations are not for children who choose a profession, but for children. The selection of the right professions, even with low scores, allows for direct employment; the selection of the wrong outdated professions, even in the top-renowned universities, can lead to employment difficulties。
Iii. These changes have very different effects on children in different fractions
Many parents see only “changes in advanced examinations”, but do not know what effect these changes have on their children. Let's be clear in the fraction, where your children are, in the mind。
Point-breeding: more competitive and more visible in the “stratification” of the head
In the past, high-scoring students were able to go to a good university; in the future, priority universities will increasingly focus on cutting-edge innovators, such as the master plan, the master plan for basic studies, specializing in children with scientific potential and specialty in the field, and the usual “high-scoring low-energy” that will make it very difficult to get into higher education in the head。
Moreover, the future level of education will be more and more severe: the top schools will only have higher levels of education, and the average two or three will continue to decline. The future is difficult to emerge from competition if the point-breeds are given high marks by brushing, without their own expertise and planning。
Secondary students: more opportunities, no more use of regular high examinations
Secondary students are the most affected and the most benefiting groups. In the past, middle-school students had to go to a regular baccalaureate and read a regular second book, with no advantages in graduating for a job; in the future, middle-school students had more options:
- the possibility of taking the baccalaureate, taking a vocational baccalaureate, learning a practical skill, graduating directly to a job and not taking ordinary jobs with millions of people
- access to targeted training programmes, such as public teacher training, targeted non-commissioned non-commissioned and publicly funded medical students, free of charge, on-boarding, and without further examination
- it is possible to choose a comprehensive evaluation of enrolment, relying on regular performance and a combination of quality, to enter a university with better grades than its own。
Secondary students do not have to go down the road of ordinary high examinations, but find the right track and have a stable way out。
Low-students: there is no longer an opportunity to “go to a college degree”
In the past, many low-level students, even one or two percentage points, had been able to enroll in a private college with mixed diplomas; that would become increasingly difficult in the future。
On the one hand, universities will be downsized, integrated, and many private colleges and three colleges may be eliminated if they fail to recruit students; on the other hand, companies are becoming more pragmatic in their use, and “dick diplomas” are not recognized at all, with low-level students studying a useless profession and graduating without a job, wasting time and money。
For low-level students, the best alternative is not mixed diplomas, but ahead of schedule career orientations, high-level, technical schools, skills that can feed, such as numerical control, car repairs, nursing, electricians, technical jobs with large future gaps and no lower wages than in the office。
Iv. What should ordinary family parents do now in the face of future examinations? Stop staring at the scores
Many parents panic when they refer to reforms in advanced examinations and feel that “policy has changed and children have no way out”. No, there are more opportunities in the change. The key is to understand the trends in advance and stop staring at the scores。
Stop superstitiously believing in the unique of the high test and accept the different tracks of the child
Many parents insist that “the child must go to a general university and take the takakaku bridge”, but the road ahead is long overdue. If the child does not perform well and does not like to study, do not force him to take a high examination. It is better to learn a good post and a good profession, to learn a practical skill, to go to college and find a job。
It is important not to think that higher grades are “unprofitable” and that the gap between skilled workers in the future is widening, and that the salaries of highly skilled workers are higher than many white collars in office. Instead of having the child read a normal second book and not getting a job after graduation, he could at least be hungry。
Don't push kids to brush their head and develop their core competencies
Previous highs are puzzles; future highs are problem solving. Parents are forced to stop staring at the children's scores, to draw simulations, to turn their backs, to expose him to life, to social practice, to engage in creative activities, and to develop his logic, ability to act and independent thinking。
These abilities are not only added to future senior examinations, but also the ability of children to eat for the rest of their lives. These skills can be mixed at work even if the children fail their exams。
3. Get to know policy well in advance, don't wait for seniors to hold their heads
Many parents do not usually pay attention to policy, and it is too late to ask “how to volunteer, how to choose a profession” when the child is a senior。
Policy changes are taking place rapidly, with high-level examinations, comprehensive evaluation of enrolment, and targeted training programmes. Each province has different policies. Parents need to know their own policies well in advance
- when will you sign up for a senior course? What schools and professions are enrolled
- what are the targeted training programmes? What are the conditions for admission
- what are the schools that have been comprehensively evaluated for admission? What materials are needed
It is clear in advance that, depending on the child's achievements and interests, the track is planned ahead of schedule, and it is not until the end of the examination that a better opportunity is found, which is missed。
Helping children break the “education cult” and develop practical careers watch
Many children are indoctrinated by the notion that “it is only success if they go to a prestigious university”, that a normal university feels inferior and that they are anxious and confused when they graduate。
Parents have to help the child break this “academic cult” by telling him that the examination is only a stage in life, not the end. The aim of university studies is not to take a diploma, but to learn to eat. Whether it is a general university, a vocational university or a technical school, it is a success if it is able to earn money and support its own family。
End: koko won't disappear, but iogi bridge is no longer the only way
Many are concerned that “the test has changed and the children have no way out” — on the contrary, it has opened up more for the children of ordinary families。
The previous examination was for a “life-long test”, and the future examination was for a “tiered selection” and every child could find a track suitable for his or her own. Point students can follow academic paths, engage in scientific research and enter famous schools; middle school students can follow career paths, learn technical skills and work with their counterparts; low-salaried students can follow skill paths, work as mechanics and blue collars, and have a stable life。
Parents today do not have to force their children to die and to take the regular undergraduate diploma. Instead of worrying about the children's scores, it is better to plan the way forward in advance, so that he knows that life is not just a one-wood bridge such as the high test, and can live a lifetime with the ability and commitment to work, no matter which path。
If you don't know how to choose the course, or if you want to learn about the province's high school exams, orientation programs, the comment section tells me the child's scores and the province, i'll analyze the path for him。
