16 stunning photos of China's insanely stressful college entrance exam process

At the beginning of June, millions of Chinese high school students will take the National College Entrance Exam, also called gaokao or "the big test." In 2016, 9.4 million students sat for the test.

Notoriously stressful, the big test has sparked harsh criticism for its high-stakes nature. It's considered a prerequisite to get into college that puts an incredible amount of pressure on students and has even been linked to student suicide.

This intense pressure spurs some students to cheat, and police are on hand at test sites to catch and detain cheaters.

Keep reading to see how intense China's national exams are for students and families.