CSCA: the entrance test for undergraduate study in China
The China Scholastic Competency Assessment is the standardised test international students take before applying for a bachelor’s degree in China. This page explains what it covers and where to verify every requirement.
The China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA) is the standardised entrance test international students take before applying for a bachelor’s degree in China. It covers Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Professional Chinese, is delivered online with remote proctoring across several sittings a year, and the score report is a required application document.
Which papers you sit depends on your intended major, the teaching language of the programme, and the university’s own admissions rules. Two applicants to the same university can need different subject combinations.
Five facts to act on
It applies to 2026/27 bachelor’s applications
Official notices state that applicants for undergraduate study at Chinese Government Scholarship universities should sit CSCA before applying, and that the score report is one of the required application materials.
There are five papers, not one exam
Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Professional Chinese (Sciences) and Professional Chinese (Humanities). You sit the combination your intended major requires — not all five.
English-taught does not mean test-free
An applicant to an English-taught programme may still need Mathematics or a science paper. Confirm the subject table for your specific major rather than assuming an exemption.
It runs several times a year, online
The assessment is delivered primarily as an online test taken at home under remote proctoring, with multiple sittings across the year, so a weak result is not necessarily the end of the application cycle.
The official site is the live source
Registration windows, sitting dates, syllabus revisions, proctoring requirements and score-release timing all change. Treat any third-party page, including this one, as a starting point rather than the authority.
The five CSCA papers
| Paper | Typically required for | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | Most bachelor’s applicants, science and engineering majors in particular | Chinese and English versions |
| Physics | Engineering, physical sciences and some technology majors | Chinese and English versions |
| Chemistry | Chemistry, materials, life-science, medical and pharmacy majors | Chinese and English versions |
| Professional Chinese (Sciences) | Chinese-taught science and engineering programmes | Chinese |
| Professional Chinese (Humanities) | Chinese-taught humanities, business and social-science programmes | Chinese |
Subject combinations are set by the university and the major, not by nationality. Confirm yours on the official CSCA site and the university’s current international admissions notice.
What to confirm before you register
- That your shortlisted universities require CSCA for the intake you are applying to.
- The exact subject combination attached to your intended major, in writing.
- Which language version of each paper you are allowed or required to sit.
- The score-report deadline for each university, which is usually earlier than the application deadline.
- Any published exemption, waiver, or additional university-run test that applies to you.
- The technical requirements for online proctoring, including device, connection and identity documents.
Why the assessment exists
Before CSCA, undergraduate admission for international students was assessed university by university, using a mix of school transcripts, in-house entrance tests and language certificates that were difficult to compare across countries. The assessment was introduced to give Chinese universities a single comparable measure of academic readiness.
For applicants, the practical consequence is that preparation is now a distinct step in the timeline. It sits between building a shortlist and submitting an application, and it has its own registration window and its own deadline — see the application roadmap for where it fits.
Official source
Use csca.cn for registration, the exam introduction, the syllabus, proctoring arrangements, sitting dates and score services. Then compare it against the current international admissions guide published by each university you are applying to.
This page is informational. It does not sell, administer or guarantee test results, and it is not affiliated with the assessment authority.
Keep reading
- CSCA past papers: what exists, what is reliable, what to practise
- What the CSCA syllabus covers
- CSCA sittings, registration windows and score timing
- Universities that require CSCA for undergraduate admission
- CSCA questions applicants actually ask
Read the past-papers guide — Work through complete papers to learn question style and pacing, then verify the exact subjects, language, dates and score requirements against official sources.
Reviewed 2026-08-13.