Science students preparing for an undergraduate degree in China often ask: for the CSCA, should you choose physics or chemistry? Below, we first look at the official requirements, then compare the exam formats and past-paper statistics for the two subjects, and finally set out the steps for choosing.
What do the official sources say?
The official website states that physics and chemistry are both optional subjects; whether you need to take them must be confirmed according to the requirements of the relevant major at the institution you plan to apply to.
An official CSC notice gives reference combinations by major:
- Science, engineering and agriculture: STEM Chinese, mathematics, plus physics or chemistry
- Western medicine: Medical Chinese, mathematics, chemistry
The final requirements are subject to the admissions guide of the target institution.
The exam format is the same for both subjects
- Both last 60 minutes and consist of 48 single-choice questions, with a maximum score of 100.
- Both are offered as a Chinese-language paper or an English-language paper.
- Physics and chemistry are scheduled on the second day of the same exam.
- Fees: RMB 450 for 1 subject, RMB 700 for 2 or more subjects. If you have already registered for 2 subjects, adding another subject costs no extra.
How do the past exam questions in our statistics differ?
First, physics:
- 4 sets, 188 questions in total.
- Mechanics covers 6 topic areas and accounts for 64%; kinematics alone has 40 questions, about 21%.
- Electromagnetism accounts for 28%.
- Thermodynamics and optics together total 15 questions.
- Modern physics: 0 questions.
- The questions are concentrated in a few areas.
Next, chemistry:
- 4 sets, 185 questions in total.
- The distribution across 9 topic areas is very scattered.
- The largest areas are atomic structure and ionic reactions, at about 15% each.
- The smallest is redox and electrochemistry, at about 8%.
This shows that:
- In physics, if you master mechanics thoroughly, you can earn most of the marks.
- In chemistry, you need to study every topic area.
How to choose
- First check the requirements of all your target institutions and majors: if physics is required, take physics; if chemistry is required, take chemistry; if you want to study medicine, the official combination requires chemistry.
- When a school writes “physics or chemistry”, choose the subject you did better in during high school.
- If both subjects may be useful and you have enough time, take both, because the fee is the same for 2 or more subjects.
- If you are unsure which subject suits you better, take one diagnostic test in each subject and compare your scores.
Next steps
CSCA.PRO has a physics diagnostic and a chemistry diagnostic, each about 15 minutes long; you can take both before deciding.