Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the article highlights the formal release of the 2026 college entrance examination policy, emphasizing adjustments in the structure and scale of college admissions towards fundamental, emerging, interdisciplinary, and urgently needed disciplines to enhance talent supply-demand matching [1] - The optimization of college major group settings is aimed at making the application process more user-friendly, grouping related majors together to facilitate better decision-making for candidates [1] - The reform of the content and format of the college entrance examination will focus more on key competencies, subject literacy, and thinking quality, shifting from "solving problems" to "problem-solving," indicating a transition in high school education towards comprehensive development [1] Group 2 - Special admissions for arts and vocational education will be more standardized, with a significant reduction in the number of institutions conducting school examinations, and strict prohibitions on early admissions under misleading names [1]

Core Points - The Ministry of Education has announced the schedule for the 2026 National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao), which will take place on June 7 and 8, 2026 [1] - The notification emphasizes the need to enhance the examination and enrollment safety management system to ensure a secure, smooth, fair, and just Gaokao process [3] Group 1: Examination and Enrollment Management - The notification stresses the importance of strict management at examination entry points and monitoring, promoting the use of information technology, and enhancing the overall examination environment [3] - It mandates strict adherence to national enrollment policies and regulations, ensuring transparency in college admissions and reinforcing supervision to maintain order [3] Group 2: Enrollment Planning and Strategy - There will be an increase in macro-control over enrollment plans to align with national strategic needs and public welfare demands [3] - Colleges and universities are encouraged to optimize their academic programs and enrollment plans to better match talent cultivation with technological innovation and industry development [3] Group 3: Examination System Reform - The notification calls for further deepening the reform of the examination and enrollment system to promote comprehensive student development [4] - Continuous reform of examination content and formats will focus on assessing students' key abilities, subject literacy, and critical thinking skills, shifting from mere problem-solving to real-world problem resolution [5] Group 4: Support and Services for Students - Institutions are required to enhance support and services for candidates, ensuring timely policy interpretation, information dissemination, and assistance [8] - The establishment of a "Sunshine Volunteer" information service system is encouraged to provide consultation for filling out applications and to warn against enrollment fraud [9] Group 5: Trends in College Admissions - The structure and scale of college admissions will be adjusted to favor foundational, emerging, interdisciplinary, and urgently needed majors, improving the alignment of talent supply and demand [9] - The application process will become more user-friendly, with better organization of related majors to facilitate candidate choices [9] - Special admissions for arts and other categories will be more regulated, with a significant reduction in the number of institutions conducting entrance exams [10]