The art exam is part of the national college entrance exam, aka the gaokao. Designed for those who wish to pursue art majors, it is no less competitive than the regular academic exam, which takes place in June.

It has two forms. Students can either take the provincial-level unified exam－to enroll at art colleges and universities within their province－or the school exam held independently by each art academy. They can choose to take either or both, but they all still have to take the gaokao.

The unified exam usually takes place in December and January, while the school exams are held between January and March.

According to data released by the art academies, the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing received around 24,000 applications for its school exam this year, but there are only 1,021 places available.

The China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, received 45,920 applications this year for 1,690 places. Last year, 47,910 students competed for the 1,823 berths at the academy.

Art studios have a long history of helping candidates prepare for the exam. According to media reports, such studios first appeared in Beijing as "pre-exam training classes" located close to prestigious art academies, such as the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Tsinghua University. They were mostly run by graduates of the academies, who were familiar with each school's painting style.

As the number of fine art candidates rose over the years, the studios expanded in scale and size, and they gradually became businesses.

Songzhuang, in Tongzhou district in Beijing's eastern suburbs, has become one of China's best-known and biggest art communities. Official data show that the village houses 55 art and design training studios that host more than 20,000 students.

The exam plays an important role in the overall performance of the gaokao for art students. However, in September, the Ministry of Education released new measures to introduce reforms to the exam's artistic element.

By 2024, greater emphasis will be placed on academic scores rather than professional skills. More focus will be placed on the provincial-level unified exam while the number of independent enrollment tests held by art academies will be reduced significantly, the ministry said.