The graduating class only gets one day off for May 1st, then jumps into even more hellish review sessions, with endless exams and relentless drilling, just like the state of a senior in high school. Hua Yan even thinks the high school entrance exam is more brutal than the college entrance exam, because it means fifty percent won't make it to high school, and there's no repeating the year. But the college entrance exam is different—you can at least try again next year if you don't do well this year. The high school entrance exam is a one-shot deal; no one can afford to be careless.
Being able to get into high school means you've already beaten fifty percent of the people. But if you can get into university, you've beaten thirty percent more. If you can get into a 985/211 school, it means you've reached the top of the pyramid, becoming part of the ten percent of excellent talent.
