Some 9 million students are sitting for this year's Gaokao.
That's a 30-thousand fall compared with the previous year.
It is the fifth consecutive drop nationwide.
Xiong Bingqi is the vice President of the Beijing-based 21st Century Education Research Institute.
"Some students are giving up on the gaokao as they seek admissions in overseas universities, while some choose to attend the high school for another year for a better performance. Besides, some schools, especially those in rural and remote areas, persuade the students to give up on the exam for a better enrolment rate. Last but not least, some students think it's useless to go to college."
