How China makes the granddad of NEET leak-proof

Flights are rerouted, honking and construction near exam centres are stopped as millions in China take the Gaokao, the national college entrance test. In June 2025, over 13 million Chinese students took the Gaokao. Just the number of students makes it the granddad of NEET-UG, India's national medical entrance exam. While the NEET-UG, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), is mired in controversies over paper leaks, China has moved to make the Gaokao foolproof.

On May 3, nearly 2.2 million (22 lakh) students appeared for the NEET-UG (National Eligibility and Entrance Test), with the hope of getting to study medicine. The exam is conducted by the NTA as the sole, standardised nationwide entrance exam for admission to undergraduate medical (MBBS), dental (BDS), and AYUSH courses in India. It ensures merit-based selection, replaces multiple state-level exams for uniformity, and maintains high standards for future healthcare professionals.

However, the hopes and dreams of millions of students were shattered as, merely eight days after the NEET-UG examination, allegations of a question paper leak surfaced on Monday, forcing the NTA to cancel the May 3 exam. Paper leak controversies surrounding NEET are not new.

Just two years ago, in 2024, the country witnessed a similar crisis. The 2026 paper leak controversy reflects how authorities have still failed to fully address systemic loopholes and safeguard the sacrifices and aspirations of millions of students.

In a phone interview with Aaj Tak TV on Tuesday, mathematics educator and Super 30 founder Anand Kumar said that there should be a China-like crackdown on paper leaks in India. "It's important to tighten the noose on coaching centres. There should be strict implementation of rules. The government must ensure tough measures like China," Kumar said.

"This (paper leak) is a very unfortunate thing. Students lose morale every time something like this happens," he added.

With the China-like model, Super 30's Kumar is pointing to Beijing's high-class surveillance systems and strict punishments for malicious attempts to rig examinations, especially the world's toughest Gaokao exam.

Gaokao is China's National College Entrance Examination (a nationwide unified examination for admissions to general universities and colleges). The Gaokao exam is the primary gateway for undergraduate admissions to almost all higher education institutions in mainland China. Cheating and attempts to manipulate in the Gaokao are treated as a serious criminal offence. From drones and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to police deployment around exam centres, Beijing has built a near fortress-like system.

GAOKAO IS CONSIDERED THE LIFE-CHANGING EXAMINATION IN CHINA

In China, every June, millions of students attempt one of the world's toughest examinations, the Gaokao. It is officially known as the National College Entrance Examination. The Gaokao serves as the primary gateway for admission into almost all universities and colleges in mainland China. The Gaokao exams are conducted by China's Ministry of Education, and the exam is conducted on a national-level basis, administered provincially.

The Gaokao exam is held for final-year high school students, usually around the age of 18. The exam provides a gateway to secure undergraduate seats in universities across the country. Around 13.35 million (1.335 crore) students appeared for the Gaokao exam in 2025. With this many students attempting the examination, the Gaokao is one of the world's largest examinations.

Students sitting for the Gaokao are tested in core subjects such as Chinese language, Mathematics, and a foreign language. Mathematics papers, in particular, are often considered extremely challenging. The examination carries enormous significance because a student's score can determine access to top universities, career opportunities, and social mobility.

The pressure surrounding the gaokao is immense. Students often spend years preparing for the exam, with many beginning coaching and tutoring at an early age. Families invest heavily in education, viewing success in the gaokao as a pathway to economic stability, social status, and better opportunities in life.

The gaokao is frequently compared with India's Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), the examination conducted as a gateway for students to top IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) and NEET because of its difficulty level, scale, and life-changing consequences.

The Gaokao exam was introduced in 1977, and the examination has helped millions of Chinese students move ahead in life. "Gaokao, the unified exam, has transformed millions of lives through merit-based selection," according to a report by China's state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Apart from the Gaokao, there are also competitive examinations China conducts, such as the Zhongkao and the Guokao. The Zhongkao is the senior high school entrance examination taken by junior middle school students to secure admission into academic or vocational high schools, while the Guokao is China's highly competitive national civil service examination for recruitment into government departments.

Both exams involve strict invigilation, identity verification, and anti-cheating measures, but their security protocols are still considered less intense than those of the Gaokao, which is protected with near military-grade surveillance, AI monitoring, armed escorts, and state-secret level handling of question papers.

CHINA'S WORLD-CLASS SURVEILLANCE FOR THE WORLD'S TOUGHEST EXAMINATION

China treats the Gaokao examination with an extraordinary level of secrecy and surveillance, making question paper leaks extremely rare. According to reports by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, Gaokao question papers are classified as "state secrets" and are handled under some of the strictest security protocols in the world.

According to an academic study cited by the Ohio State University, the process of securing the question papers begins long before students enter examination halls. Question papers are drafted under heavy security and are often printed in specially designated prisons or ultra-secure facilities monitored 24/7 with surveillance cameras (CCTV), guards, and isolated working conditions.

Once printed, the papers are transported under armed police escort with GPS tracking, video monitoring, and multi-layered secure storage systems that often require multiple keys and authorisations to access.

The Gaokao exam day is not just another ordinary day in China. Beijing deploys a massive anti-cheating network. Chinese provinces where the exams are conducted use metal detectors and intelligent security gates capable of detecting mobile phones, smartwatches, hidden earpieces, and other electronic devices.

Beijing-based, the largest and most authoritative English-language daily newspaper, China Daily, reported that candidates in exam centres undergo facial recognition, fingerprint scans, or iris verification to prevent impersonation. Radio signal jammers are activated around exam centres to block wireless communication.

According to Xinhua News Agency, authorities also deploy drones and specialised police units like the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) forces to monitor suspicious activity near examination venues. SWAT forces are China's elite police tactical units, often called Te Jing (Special Police), trained to manage high-risk situations like terrorism, hostage rescues, and violent crime.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has also become a major tool in China's anti-cheating strategy. AI-powered surveillance cameras and "intelligent patrol systems" monitor students in real time and flag unusual behaviour such as repeated glances, whispering, or suspicious movements.

Reports also suggest that Chinese technology companies temporarily restrict certain AI image-recognition tools during Gaokao examination hours to prevent misuse for cheating.

According to a 2013 report by UK-based The Independent, Chinese authorities even issued directives to reroute flights in provinces where the Gaokao examinations were being conducted to minimise noise disturbances.

China Daily also reported that authorities imposed strict restrictions on noise-producing activities during the exam period. Car honking, commercial promotions, interior decoration work, demolition, and construction activities were either heavily restricted or banned. During examination hours, no noise-producing activity was permitted within a 500-metre radius of exam centres.
China has also imposed severe criminal punishments for exam fraud. According to the US-based Time magazine, cheating, organising cheating rackets, or impersonating candidates in national examinations became criminal offences in China in 2015 and 2016.

Offenders can face prison terms ranging from three to seven years, along with fines, cancellation of scores, and long-term exam bans. Examination invigilators and officials responsible for lapses also face disciplinary action in China.

China's Ministry of Education authorities also run extensive crackdowns on fake answer scams, online rumours, and organised cheating networks before every Gaokao exam season. The combination of strict laws, technological surveillance, and state-level secrecy protocols has made paper leaks nearly impossible in China.

Amid all these tight security measures for the Gaokao, the examination is not completely pure as it seems.

GAOKAO EXAM HAS ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION, PAPER LEAKS, AND CHEATING

Despite the Gaokao's professed goals of fairness and equal opportunity, they are plagued by significant issues such as long hours of studying, corruption, cheating, and exam paper leaks.

The Gaokao, in particular, is often described as the bridge to success amid fierce competition. The immense pressure associated with the exam has led to a troubling rise in student suicides. According to a Bloomberg report in 2014, approximately 93% of high school student suicides were reported in China and were attributed to Gaokao-related stress.

In 2022, allegations of paper leaks surfaced on Chinese social media sites. The suspected leak was found by people as they observed parts of the Gaokao question papers were already uploaded online, arousing suspicion that the exam papers had been leaked.

The National Educational Examinations Authority reported to public security departments, seeking an immediate investigation into the matter.

A report in the Beijing-based Global Times, citing the Chinese Ministry of Education said that the "leaked" papers circulating online were, in fact cheating attempts during the exams and malicious editing by "leakers", who tried to make the images of test papers look like they had been uploaded earlier than the actual time.

Apart from the 2022 case, there have been no publicly available allegations of paper leaks in the Gaokao exams.

With back-to-back question paper controversies battering the lives of students in India, a strong and secure system for examinations is the need of the hour.