CSCA Exam Format 2026–27: Questions, Timing and Scoring
CSCA exam format: 48 single-choice questions in 60 minutes per science subject, 80 in 90 minutes for Professional Chinese, scored 0–100. No national pass mark.
The CSCA exam format is simple: every question is single-choice. Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry each have 48 questions in 60 minutes, offered in Chinese or English. Professional Chinese has 80 questions in 90 minutes, in Chinese only. Each subject is scored from 0 to 100, and there is no single official pass mark.
- Exam: China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA), the admission test for international applicants to undergraduate programs at Chinese universities
- Subjects: Professional Chinese (Humanities or STEM track), Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry
- Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry: 48 single-choice questions, 60 minutes each, in Chinese or English
- Professional Chinese: 80 single-choice questions, 90 minutes, Chinese only
- Scoring: 0–100 in each subject, reported separately
- Maximum score: 100 per subject; there is no official combined total
- Pass mark: none set nationally; each university sets its own requirement
- Calculator: published exam rules do not list a calculator among permitted items
- Results: typically within 7–14 working days depending on test mode; check your session notice
If you are new to the test, start with our overview of what the CSCA exam is and who needs it. One quick note on the name: CSCA is also an accounting certificate from the IMA (Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis). This guide is only about the China Scholastic Competency Assessment, the test for students applying to bachelor's programs in China.
What is the CSCA exam format?
The CSCA has four subjects, but you only sit the ones your target programs ask for. Mathematics is required for every applicant, including students applying to humanities and business degrees. Physics and Chemistry depend on your major: applicants to science, engineering, agriculture and medicine programs need at least one of them. Professional Chinese is only for Chinese-taught programs, in a Humanities or STEM version that matches your major. For dates, fees and registration alongside the format, see our CSCA exam 2026–27 guide.
- Mathematics: 48 single-choice questions, 60 minutes, Chinese or English, scored 0–100. Required for all applicants.
- Physics: 48 single-choice questions, 60 minutes, Chinese or English, scored 0–100. Required by many science, engineering and medical programs.
- Chemistry: 48 single-choice questions, 60 minutes, Chinese or English, scored 0–100. Required by many science, medical and agriculture programs.
- Professional Chinese (Humanities or STEM): 80 single-choice questions, 90 minutes, Chinese only, scored 0–100. Required for Chinese-taught programs; English-taught applicants are exempt.
Every question is single-choice: you pick the one correct option from the choices given. There are no essays, no written solutions and no partial credit for working shown on paper. This makes the CSCA a test of two things at once: whether you know the high school content, and whether you can apply it quickly and accurately under time pressure.
For Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry you can take the paper in Chinese or English. Choose the language you studied the subject in, not the language of your future degree. A student who learned physics in English at school should usually take the English paper, even if they plan to study in Chinese later. Professional Chinese is always in Chinese. Our guide to the CSCA Professional Chinese test explains the Humanities and STEM tracks.
How long is the CSCA exam?
Each science subject lasts 60 minutes and Professional Chinese lasts 90 minutes. That works out to about 75 seconds per question in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, and about 67 seconds per question in Professional Chinese. Your total CSCA exam time depends on how many subjects you take: Mathematics alone is one hour, while Professional Chinese, Mathematics and Physics add up to three and a half hours of testing.
The 2026–27 calendar reported by third parties lists two-day sittings, with Professional Chinese and Mathematics on day one and Physics and Chemistry on day two. Start times are given in Beijing Time (UTC+8), and reports suggest some sessions begin in the afternoon and others in the morning. Convert the times to your own time zone and confirm them on csca.cn and your admission ticket.
How is the CSCA scored?
Each subject is scored on a scale from 0 to 100, and each subject is reported separately. Your score comes from the single-choice questions you answer correctly. Because 48 questions do not divide evenly into 100 points, some weighting or conversion must be used, but the official notices we checked do not publish the exact formula. Be careful with websites that claim to turn your raw answers into an exact CSCA score.
The official information we reviewed does not mention negative marking for wrong answers. If the candidate rules on csca.cn confirm this when you register, the sensible strategy is to answer every question, even if you have to make an educated guess in the final minute. Remove the options you know are wrong first, then choose.
What is the CSCA max score?
The CSCA max score is 100 in each subject. There is no official combined total. Some students add their subject scores together, for example 300 for three subjects, but that is an informal number. A university can look at each subject on its own, so a strong Mathematics score may not make up for a weak Physics score if your program cares about both. Ask your target university how it reads results from several subjects.
Is there a CSCA minimum score or pass rate?
No single official pass mark exists for the CSCA. It is not a pass or fail exam. Instead, each university sets its own requirements, and these can differ by program and by scholarship. Some university notices describe CSCA scores as a minimum admission criterion, while others describe them as one reference in an overall academic review.
The same goes for the CSCA exam pass rate: no official pass rate has been published, and without a national pass mark the idea does not really apply. If a website quotes a pass rate or a fixed cut-off score without linking to a university or official source, treat it as a guess. The reliable way to find your minimum score is your target university's admission guide, its admissions office, or the scholarship notice you are applying under.
Does the CSCA allow a calculator?
Plan to work without one. The published exam rules do not list a calculator among permitted items, and university and admissions guides that summarize the rules list books, notes and other reference materials as not allowed. The numbers in CSCA questions are chosen so you can work by hand if you know the method. That means you need fast mental arithmetic, confident work with fractions and square roots, and the special angle values in trigonometry, such as sin 30° = 1/2 and cos 45° = √2/2.
Rules about scratch paper and what you may keep on your desk can differ between home-based and test center exams, so read the candidate rules on csca.cn before exam day. The best way to build calculator-free speed is timed practice: work through free CSCA mathematics practice questions with your calculator out of reach from the very first session.
Speaking of test modes, you can sit the CSCA in up to three ways, depending on where you live. The home-based online exam is taken on your own computer with live remote proctoring. Computer-based and paper-based exams are taken at authorized test centers, and the Shanghai government FAQ says the first on-site centers opened in Vietnam and Thailand from December 2025. Check which modes are available in your country when you register.
If you test at home, plan for a reliable computer that meets the technical requirements, a camera for proctoring, a stable internet connection and a quiet private room. Check the requirements on csca.cn and run any system check offered well before the exam, not on the morning of the test. For a step-by-step walkthrough of check-in and the rules on the day, read our CSCA exam day tips.
What is on the CSCA score report?
CSCA results are released online. You log in to your account on csca.cn to see your score for each subject you took. Results come out typically within 7–14 working days depending on test mode; check your session notice. University notices for the 2025–26 sessions gave 7 working days for online and computer-based tests and 14 working days for paper-based tests.
Universities set their own score deadlines. For 2026 entry, some universities accepted a screenshot of your registration confirmation with the application and the actual scores later; Northwestern Polytechnical University, for example, asked for final scores by May 20, 2026. Our CSCA registration guide explains how to save that confirmation.
How long a CSCA score stays valid is not clearly stated in the official sources we could check. Some agencies say two years, but we could not confirm that on csca.cn. If you plan to use a score for a later intake, ask the university in writing whether it will accept it.
How should you prepare for the CSCA exam format?
Knowing the format tells you how to train. These are the habits that matter most:
- Confirm your subjects and paper language for each target program before you study anything else.
- Learn the official syllabus topic by topic, starting with Mathematics, which everyone takes.
- Train your pace to about 75 seconds per question in the science subjects.
- Practice without a calculator from day one.
- Take full 60-minute timed mocks, and 90-minute mocks if you sit Professional Chinese.
- Review every wrong answer and write down why the wrong option looked right.
To see every topic you can be tested on, read the CSCA mathematics syllabus for 2026 and tick off what your school has already covered.
Then turn that list into a schedule with our 90-day CSCA study plan, which builds timed mock exams into the final month.
Frequently asked questions
CSCA FAQ
What is the CSCA max score?
Each subject is scored out of 100. There is no official combined total; every subject you take is reported on its own 0–100 scale.
What is the CSCA minimum score for Chinese universities?
There is no national minimum. Each university, and sometimes each program or scholarship, sets its own requirement, so check your target university's admission guide.
What is the CSCA exam pass rate?
No official pass rate has been published, and the CSCA has no national pass mark. Treat any pass rate you see online as unofficial.
Does the CSCA allow a calculator?
Plan to work without one. The published exam rules do not list a calculator among permitted items, so practice all arithmetic by hand.
How long is the CSCA exam?
Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry are 60 minutes each, and Professional Chinese is 90 minutes. Your total time depends on how many subjects you take.
How is the CSCA scored?
Each subject is scored from 0 to 100 based on your answers to single-choice questions. The exact conversion formula has not been published.
When do CSCA results come out?
Results come out typically within 7–14 working days depending on test mode; check your session notice. Log in to your account on csca.cn to see them.
Can I take the CSCA in English?
Yes for Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, which are offered in Chinese or English. Professional Chinese is in Chinese only.
CSCA.ai is an independent preparation platform. Confirm dates, fees and requirements on the official site, csca.cn.
