Question 1

What is this topic?

Accepted Answer

Taiwan sits its Scholastic Aptitude Test and Subject-Specific Test (both run by the CEEC) across three tracks with distinct rules: Application Admission caps the exam at half the final score, weighing the rest on portfolio and interview; Placement Admission ranks purely by exam score; and Star Recommendation goes on in-school class rank alone, no exam-based placement needed. China runs the gaokao (coordinated nationally by the Ministry of Education, held every June 7–8) on a 750-point "3+1+2" structure, plus a separate 强基计划 that adds a campus test for basic-science talent. Japan holds one national Common Test each January through the DNC, but national and public universities layer a second, university-run exam on top. The United States has no national exam at all — the federal Department of Education has no authority over admissions — and the well-known SAT/ACT are private tests (College Board, ACT Inc.) that most selective schools weigh alongside GPA and essays; about 25% of four-year colleges had open admissions as of fall 2021. India's National Testing Agency runs three separate exams by field: JEE Main (engineering, twice a year), NEET UG (medicine, once a year, now the sole basis for admission nationwide), and CUET UG (general undergraduate, once a year, already replacing Class 12 marks at roughly 48 central universities). Indonesia's state universities split admission three ways — SNBP on report-card achievement (minimum 20% of seats), SNBT on the computer-based UTBK test (minimum 30–40%), and university-run Jalur Mandiri (up to 30–50%). Brazil's ENEM, run once a year by INEP, feeds into SiSU for public-university places under a quota law, while state universities like USP and UNICAMP still run their own vestibular. No two of the seven countries do it the same way — they differ in how many times a year, who administers it, and how much the score alone decides.

Question 2

When is it?

Accepted Answer

There is no single verified fixed date here; timing varies by place, household, or personal choice.

Question 3

How do places mark it?

Accepted Answer

United States; Brazil; China; Indonesia; India; Japan; Taiwan

Question 4

What differs by place?

Accepted Answer

Brazil: Brazil's high-school completion exam, the National Secondary Education Exam (ENEM), is run once a year by INEP, a research body under the federal Ministry of Education; originally an assessment tool, it is now the main credential for university entry. The Unified Selection System (SiSU, run by the Ministry) lets candidates apply to federal, state and municipal public university places using ENEM scores from their most recent attempts, choosing up to two course options; admission is also shaped by the Quota Law (Lei de Cotas), which reserves places for public-school graduates, low-income students, and Black and Indigenous candidates. Most private universities accept ENEM scores as well (often paired with the Prouni scholarship programme or the Fies student-loan scheme), but many state universities — such as USP's Fuvest, UNICAMP's Comvest, and UNESP — still run their own traditional vestibular exam rather than relying solely on ENEM. China: China's university admission is anchored in the National College Entrance Examination (普通高等学校招生全国统一考试, gaokao), organised nationally by the Ministry of Education and run province by province, held every year on June 7 and 8 (provinces using the '3+1+2' subject model add a third day for elective subjects). '3+1+2' means Chinese, math and a foreign language are tested nationwide, plus one elective from physics/history and two from politics, geography, chemistry and biology, for a maximum of 750 points; some provinces still use an older '3+3' model. Scores are not the only input: a 'comprehensive quality evaluation' (综合素质评价) covering moral character, academic record, health, arts and labour/social practice feeds into admission decisions. For top students in basic sciences, the Ministry runs a separate 强基计划 (Strengthening Basic Disciplines Plan), where admission adds each university's own written test and interview on top of the gaokao score. Vocational colleges instead use a parallel 职教高考 track, scored on 'cultural literacy plus vocational skill' rather than the general gaokao. Indonesia: Undergraduate admission to Indonesia's state universities (PTN) runs on three tracks set out in Ministerial Regulation 48/2022 (amended by Regulation 62/2023), with two of the three handled centrally by the National New Student Admission Committee (SNPMB). SNBP (achievement-based selection) uses high-school report-card grades plus other academic and non-academic accomplishments — no test required — and each university must reserve at least 20% of its places for it. SNBT (test-based selection) is decided by the computer-based UTBK aptitude test, with a portfolio added for arts and sports programmes; service-agency-status state universities (PTN BLU/Satker) must set aside at least 40% of places for it, and corporatised state universities (PTNBH) at least 30%. The third track, Jalur Mandiri (independent selection), is run by each university on its own terms — up to 30% of places at PTN BLU/Satker and up to 50% at PTNBH — and can draw directly on a candidate's UTBK score. India: India's university entrance exams are run centrally by the National Testing Agency (NTA), under the Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education, with a separate test for each field. For engineering, JEE Main is held twice a year (January and April); its score is used for admission to NITs, IIITs and GFTIs, and it also serves as the qualifying exam for JEE Advanced, which admits only to the IITs. For medicine, NEET UG runs once a year in May and is now the sole basis for admission to MBBS, BDS and other medical courses nationwide — individual college entrance tests were phased out. For general undergraduate programmes, CUET UG runs once a year (a window in May–June); around 48 central universities, including the University of Delhi, now admit students by CUET score alone, and Class 12 board marks are no longer counted in the final admission decision. The three exams don't overlap — applicants sit whichever matches their intended field. Japan: Japan's Common Test for University Admissions (大学入学共通テスト) is run once a year in January by the National Center for University Entrance Examinations (DNC) together with participating universities, using the same questions nationwide. National and public universities almost always require two stages: a first cut on Common Test scores, then each university's own 'second-stage exam' (個別学力検査), with results announced in an early (前期) or later (後期) round. Most private universities skip the Common Test and set their own 一般選抜 subjects, though many also offer a 共通テスト利用方式 that admits students on Common Test scores alone. Two further tracks skip written scores altogether: 学校推薦型選抜 (formerly 推薦入試, based on a high-school principal's recommendation and in-school grades) and 総合型選抜 (formerly AO入試, weighted toward motivation essays, interviews and short essays) — both have been taking a growing share of admissions in recent years. Taiwan: Taiwan's university admission runs on two layers: the College Entrance Examination Center (CEEC) administers the Scholastic Aptitude Test (學測, every January) and the Subject-Specific Test (分科測驗, every July), feeding three separate tracks. Application Admission (個人申請) filters first on 學測 scores, then a second round weighs the learning portfolio, interview and skills test, with 學測 counting for at most half the final score. Placement Admission (考試分發) ranks applicants purely by 分科測驗 or 學測 scores from high to low, with no school record or interview involved. Star Recommendation (繁星推薦) nominates students by their in-school class rank across five semesters (from the first year through the first semester of the third year), combined with a 學測 threshold, and requires no interview except for medicine and dentistry. The three tracks are mutually exclusive: admission through one bars an applicant from the other two that year. United States: There is no national university entrance exam at the federal level in the United States, and the federal Department of Education has no direct authority over curriculum or admissions — its own overview page states plainly that states and individual institutions set their own enrollment requirements. The well-known SAT (run by the nonprofit College Board) and ACT (run by ACT, Inc.) are private standardized tests, not government exams; most selective schools use 'holistic admissions,' weighing GPA, extracurriculars, recommendation letters and essays alongside test scores, and a growing number have gone 'test-optional.' Federal data from the National Center for Education Statistics show that as of fall 2021, roughly 25% of four-year institutions had open admissions policies (accepting all applicants), and the share was 92% among two-year colleges.

Question 5

How is it done in Brazil?

Accepted Answer

Brazil's high-school completion exam, the National Secondary Education Exam (ENEM), is run once a year by INEP, a research body under the federal Ministry of Education; originally an assessment tool, it is now the main credential for university entry. The Unified Selection System (SiSU, run by the Ministry) lets candidates apply to federal, state and municipal public university places using ENEM scores from their most recent attempts, choosing up to two course options; admission is also shaped by the Quota Law (Lei de Cotas), which reserves places for public-school graduates, low-income students, and Black and Indigenous candidates. Most private universities accept ENEM scores as well (often paired with the Prouni scholarship programme or the Fies student-loan scheme), but many state universities — such as USP's Fuvest, UNICAMP's Comvest, and UNESP — still run their own traditional vestibular exam rather than relying solely on ENEM.

Question 6

How is it done in China?

Accepted Answer

China's university admission is anchored in the National College Entrance Examination (普通高等学校招生全国统一考试, gaokao), organised nationally by the Ministry of Education and run province by province, held every year on June 7 and 8 (provinces using the '3+1+2' subject model add a third day for elective subjects). '3+1+2' means Chinese, math and a foreign language are tested nationwide, plus one elective from physics/history and two from politics, geography, chemistry and biology, for a maximum of 750 points; some provinces still use an older '3+3' model. Scores are not the only input: a 'comprehensive quality evaluation' (综合素质评价) covering moral character, academic record, health, arts and labour/social practice feeds into admission decisions. For top students in basic sciences, the Ministry runs a separate 强基计划 (Strengthening Basic Disciplines Plan), where admission adds each university's own written test and interview on top of the gaokao score. Vocational colleges instead use a parallel 职教高考 track, scored on 'cultural literacy plus vocational skill' rather than the general gaokao.

Question 7

How is it done in Indonesia?

Accepted Answer

Undergraduate admission to Indonesia's state universities (PTN) runs on three tracks set out in Ministerial Regulation 48/2022 (amended by Regulation 62/2023), with two of the three handled centrally by the National New Student Admission Committee (SNPMB). SNBP (achievement-based selection) uses high-school report-card grades plus other academic and non-academic accomplishments — no test required — and each university must reserve at least 20% of its places for it. SNBT (test-based selection) is decided by the computer-based UTBK aptitude test, with a portfolio added for arts and sports programmes; service-agency-status state universities (PTN BLU/Satker) must set aside at least 40% of places for it, and corporatised state universities (PTNBH) at least 30%. The third track, Jalur Mandiri (independent selection), is run by each university on its own terms — up to 30% of places at PTN BLU/Satker and up to 50% at PTNBH — and can draw directly on a candidate's UTBK score.

Question 8

How is it done in India?

Accepted Answer

India's university entrance exams are run centrally by the National Testing Agency (NTA), under the Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education, with a separate test for each field. For engineering, JEE Main is held twice a year (January and April); its score is used for admission to NITs, IIITs and GFTIs, and it also serves as the qualifying exam for JEE Advanced, which admits only to the IITs. For medicine, NEET UG runs once a year in May and is now the sole basis for admission to MBBS, BDS and other medical courses nationwide — individual college entrance tests were phased out. For general undergraduate programmes, CUET UG runs once a year (a window in May–June); around 48 central universities, including the University of Delhi, now admit students by CUET score alone, and Class 12 board marks are no longer counted in the final admission decision. The three exams don't overlap — applicants sit whichever matches their intended field.

Question 9

How is it done in Japan?

Accepted Answer

Japan's Common Test for University Admissions (大学入学共通テスト) is run once a year in January by the National Center for University Entrance Examinations (DNC) together with participating universities, using the same questions nationwide. National and public universities almost always require two stages: a first cut on Common Test scores, then each university's own 'second-stage exam' (個別学力検査), with results announced in an early (前期) or later (後期) round. Most private universities skip the Common Test and set their own 一般選抜 subjects, though many also offer a 共通テスト利用方式 that admits students on Common Test scores alone. Two further tracks skip written scores altogether: 学校推薦型選抜 (formerly 推薦入試, based on a high-school principal's recommendation and in-school grades) and 総合型選抜 (formerly AO入試, weighted toward motivation essays, interviews and short essays) — both have been taking a growing share of admissions in recent years.

Question 10

How is it done in Taiwan?

Accepted Answer

Taiwan's university admission runs on two layers: the College Entrance Examination Center (CEEC) administers the Scholastic Aptitude Test (學測, every January) and the Subject-Specific Test (分科測驗, every July), feeding three separate tracks. Application Admission (個人申請) filters first on 學測 scores, then a second round weighs the learning portfolio, interview and skills test, with 學測 counting for at most half the final score. Placement Admission (考試分發) ranks applicants purely by 分科測驗 or 學測 scores from high to low, with no school record or interview involved. Star Recommendation (繁星推薦) nominates students by their in-school class rank across five semesters (from the first year through the first semester of the third year), combined with a 學測 threshold, and requires no interview except for medicine and dentistry. The three tracks are mutually exclusive: admission through one bars an applicant from the other two that year.

Question 11

How is it done in United States?

Accepted Answer

There is no national university entrance exam at the federal level in the United States, and the federal Department of Education has no direct authority over curriculum or admissions — its own overview page states plainly that states and individual institutions set their own enrollment requirements. The well-known SAT (run by the nonprofit College Board) and ACT (run by ACT, Inc.) are private standardized tests, not government exams; most selective schools use 'holistic admissions,' weighing GPA, extracurriculars, recommendation letters and essays alongside test scores, and a growing number have gone 'test-optional.' Federal data from the National Center for Education Statistics show that as of fall 2021, roughly 25% of four-year institutions had open admissions policies (accepting all applicants), and the share was 92% among two-year colleges.

Place	When is it?	How the date is set
United States	Date to be confirmed	Everyday topic
Brazil	Date to be confirmed	Everyday topic
China	Date to be confirmed	Everyday topic
Indonesia	Date to be confirmed	Everyday topic
India	Date to be confirmed	Everyday topic
Japan	Date to be confirmed	Everyday topic
Taiwan	Date to be confirmed	Everyday topic

University entrance exams: what you take, who runs it, and what else counts

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